Northwest Folklife Festival - May 23-26

The Northwest Folklife Festival is the annual free climactic celebration of year-round ethnic, folk, and traditional arts activities produced by Northwest Folklife. Artists from the Pacific Northwest along with special guests from throughout the world create an ethnic extravaganza embracing music and dance performances, visual arts and folklore exhibits, hands-on ethnic children's activities, symposia, dance and music workshops, crafts, food, imported goods, demonstrations of traditional arts, and more. Check it out!

The Media Center is in the process of collecting music from Folklife and other regional artists as part of its Puget Sounds project, so be on the watch for new arrivals in the coming weeks.

SIFF Begins

The 34th Annual Seattle International Film Festival kicks off Thursday May 22nd, with a screening of "Battle in Seattle." Comprised of over 400 films from dozens of countries screening over the course of 25 days, SIFF is one of the leading independent and international film institutions in the United States and the world. For more information see: http://www.siff.net

Did you know that the Media Center is collecting all SIFF Best Film (Golden Space Needle) and Best Documentary titles? Search our catalog for these award winners.

French and Francophone Film Festival

The French Graduate Student Association is proud to present the 1st annual French and Francophone film festival here at the University of Washington. This film series has been structured to explore several key issues surrounding ethnicity, multiculturalism and identity in the postcolonial francophone world. The diegesis of the films selected work through issues of generational and cultural divide (Le Grand Voyage), national identity (10^th District Court), immigration and immigration policy in Europe (Hop), suburban culture and the use of language in identity constructs (L'esquive), ethnic and religious tolerance (La Petite Jerusalem) and institutionalized racism in the workplace (The Glass Ceiling).

Film Screening - "The Little Heart"

Wednesday May 14, 5:30PM
Film Screening – The Little Heart.
Odegaard Library Room 220, University of Washington.

The Southeast Asia Center and IVCE are please to announce the premiere of the new Vietnamese film - Trái Tim Bé B.ng or "The Little Heart" directed by Nguy.n Thanh Vân. Film: 35mm & DVD, Color, English subtitles. Synopsis: Seventeenyear- old Mai considers herself "lucky", leaving behind all her struggles, all her memories, all her loved ones, including her dear teenage boyfriend, Den, who is a year older. She thought she had found a very promising career in embroidery work with some special arrangements from a broker. Unfortunately, life is not as simple as that. She soon realizes that she had fallen into a very subtle web of brothel operations. And in this chaotic, strange city with no one to turn to, she surrenders to prostitution and eventually the awful disease that comes with that life. Meanwhile, Minh, Mai's 15-year-old sister, is completely unaware of what had been going on with her sister in Saigon and was dreaming about joining her sister there as well. As soon as Mai knows of Minh's intentions, she leaves the city immediately to go back her village to stop Minh. The drama eventually unfolds when Mai gets back to her home village. This is where the lovers, Mai and Den, meet again. This is where the woman broker, who has been seducing young girls with promises of exciting city work dwells. Has it been all worth the dream of glamorous city life? Awards: The Global Film Initiative Award, 2007. [http://www.globalfilm.org/programs.htm]. For more information please contact the Southeast Asia Center at seac@u.washington.edu or call at (206) 543-9606.

New Media - May '08

What's new in the Media Center for May '08? 148 DVDs, 60 VHS tapes, and 44 CDs, inlcuding...

• The Aristocrats
• Big Wednesday
• Black narcissus
• The blood of Yingzhou District
• Candy
• Guardians of the flutes
• Iskwaterpangk (Squatterpunk)
• There will be blood
• Rockin' Teenage Combo

See them all listed here and check them out.