The article was originally posted on CineClub18 with 616 views
https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/1M-LkHgKgonC3t6uxhKhQg
Jiexiao Ying 2019.03.12
Translated by Lan Lin 2019

The Beginning of New York Cinephile Club

I started studying film at New York University two years ago. During my time at school, I pondered about my passion and hobbies, and what I could offer to society. Soon I realized my ambition goes beyond writing movie reviews, I also want to deliver good films to a bigger audience they deserve and vice versa.

As a Chinese New Yorker, I especially care about using film as a medium to give Chinese expats a channel to share their experiences, and help them find a spiritual home as cinephiles.

This account was named “Independent Film Launch Tower” at the very beginning. Later, I cited Lu Xun, a prestigious Chinese author’s work “Hot Wind 41” and renamed this account as “The Firefly Lighter”, with a mission to spread quality Chinese indie films.

From March to April, a selection of excellent Chinese art films will open in North America, including the much anticipated Ash is Purest White from Jia Zhangke and Long Day’s Journey Into Night from Bi Gan. After a long internship as a film distributor, I am honored to become the promotion head of Chinese community for Ash is Purest White and Long Day’s Journey Into Night, while paying close attention to the other ones——An Elephant Sitting Still and Suburban Birds. Through this opportunity, I am pursuing my dream step by step.

A few days ago, I established the “New York Cinephile Club” WeChat group for New York moviegoers. In this group chat, I update movie news and provide group discount tickets and giveaways. I hope this small lighthouse can attract Chinese diasporas who are eager to connect. Despite all the hustles in New York, and no matter where opportunities lead us, may we always reunite in the name of cinema.

What could be more romantic than film watching? Whenever the silver screen in dark draws us into another dimension, a unique experience slips through different channels of our lives. We chuckle at moments of life we see in the films, and we become emotional because of those special scenes that artistically resemble our lives. We are comforted when those inner emotions are romantically expressed by authors and auteurs.

I hope to spread this kind of romance to more souls.

Ash Is Purest White Opens in NYC

Ash Is Purest White will premiere in NYC cinemas this Friday, March 22.

The premiere event is important for us: this Friday, Jia Zhangke’s new film Ash is Purest White will hit the cinemas in New York. I look forward to bringing everyone to watch this movie.

In an interview at the New York Film Festival last year, Jia said he picked the name Ash is Purest White because he heard it was the title of the last film Fei Mu wanted to shoot. Although this story has nothing to do with that title, Jia is just fascinated by the phrase. Jianghu, which loosely translates to “the criminal underworld”, is a concept in China that doesn’t need any explanation and cannot be well explained.

When Jia was a child, he was captivated by the Jianghu stories. Those Jianghu characters left him a deep impression because they showed strong emotions and compelling stories. Jia also had a street life when he was around seven or eight years old. When the roaming teenagers fought, he was responsible for delivering bricks and stones. Jianghu films were also Jia’s favorite film back in the 80s, he often watches it at a video store. From Hu Jinquan’s Ming Dynasty, Zhang Che’s Qing Dynasty, to Wu Yusen’s Hong Kong in the 80s 90s, Jianghu stories are a reflection of people’s rebellion under turbulent periods.

As time goes by, the criminal underworld has changed. Nowadays, there are still gangster brothers helping each other out, but the task to fight is agented by a company. Sometimes one party calls the company for thugs, and the other party calls as well, the thugs would end the fight quickly with a few pushes since they work for the same place. When I was young, the gangsters in Hong Kong cinema used to say the criminal underworld needs corporate reform. Jia now feels the weight of the word.

Jia said, Ash is Purest White is a movie about how a person is changed by time. His past works focused on how changes in life and time may bring new sensation and new statuses, such as the loneliness from Xiaowu and the enthusiasm for freedom in Platform“. But this time, he shoots a story about relationships in the criminal underworld, a concept rooted in the hearts of Chinese people, to see how those relations change over the course of time and understand the deepest bits of emotions.

Here is an anecdote about the film title: Jia likes the ancient meaning of the word Jianghu, but his colleagues advised him to give up this name since the film has a modern setting and Jianghu resembles a sense of a period film, which is not a popular genre in China. However, they can’t talk him over it, so they requested Jia to think carefully for the English title. Jia proposed “Money and Love”. He likes the shaggy and rustic feeling of it, but others wanted the title to be more literary, so Jia thought of the scene where characters walk before the volcano. They said after high-temperature burning, the volcanic ash is the purest, and there comes the English title “Ash is Purest White”.

Note: The above content comes from my notes at Jia Zhangke’s talk at last year’s New York Film Festival. The Los Angeles Chinese Film and Television Alliance has published a more detailed piece on the director’s interpretation and director interview. https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/eJicpvuvWi0zynRLltS6lA

Film Info

Ash Is Purest White

A film by Jia Zhangke
2018 / China • France / Drama / 141 minutes
Plot summary: Qiaoqiao fell in love with brother Bin, a street gang leader. In a street rush, she opened fire to protect brother Bin, and was later sentenced to a five-year term in prison. After Qiaoqiao is released, she wants to find her old lover and start a new life.
Ash is Purest White will open in North American cinemas on March 15.
For ticket information, please visit each theaters’ official websites.

New York

Walter Reade Theater at Lincoln Center
(165 W 65th St, New York, NY 10023)

Quad Cinema
(34 W 13th St, New York, NY 10011)

Los Angeles

Laemmle Monica
Arclight Hollywood

San Francisco

Landmark Embarcadero
Landmark Shattuck
Smith Rafael Film Center

Join the New York Cinephile Club

Whether it’s your first time visiting Jia Zhangke’s Ash is Purest White, or have already experienced it at the New York Film Festival, you are welcome to join the “New York Cinephile Club” WeChat group. Come learn about the latest films and watch together! We will discuss the time for watching in the group chat, you will receive a discounted group ticket, have a round table discussion, and receive actress Zhao Tao’s memes!

If you are interested in art films like Ash is Purest White and live in New York, please feel free to add me on WeChat (Vivian_afro), note “Cinephile Club- Name – City – School / Work”, I will invite you to join the “New York Cinephile Club” WeChat group.

PS: If you are not in New York, I will invite you to join the “North American Cinephile Club.” maybe you can find a local cinephile organization there, such as “Xiaoxuaner’s Toronto Cinephile Club” (Owner Xiao Xuaner: xuanyi0415), “Chinese in Entertainment” (WeChat ID: CIELosAngeles).

Repost Reward:

Before noon on March 15th, comment below to tell me your ideal screening event and repost this article to your WeChat Moments. The person whose comment has the most likes will be rewarded with a signed poster of Ash is Purest White by Jia Zhangke (New York City only).

纽约观影团 |《江湖儿女》圆桌谈（3.22新增上映城市）

纽约观影团

两年前开始在纽约大学读电影研究，认真琢磨起自己的爱好和社会上的功能。 我发现自己的志向不仅是分析电影，而是希望让好的电影能抵达观众。作为一个纽约客，我尤其在意通过电影的媒介，给海外漂泊浪游者一个共享经验的时刻，在迷影的氛围里找到自己的精神家园。

这个私人公众号在建立之初，取名为”独立电影发射塔“，之后用了鲁迅《热风·四十一》的意思，更名”萤火点灯人“，凭着爱好偶尔推广独立影片。三月到四月有一批优秀的华语艺术电影登录北美院线，经过长期的北美发行实习经验，我成为《江湖儿女》《地球最后的夜晚》的华语社群推广负责人，也关注着《大象席地而坐》和《郊区的鸟》的讯息，开始实现我的梦想。
几日前，我创建了“纽约观影团”，面向爱好电影的纽约人。在这个微信群里我可以为大家提供影讯，争取团队优惠票以及周边福利，希望小小的灯塔能吸引渴望联结的异乡人的眼光。尽管纽约人来去匆匆，但是，无论我们跟随愿望和机会的指引向何方漂流，都能在他乡的影院以电影的名义重聚。

还有什么比电影更浪漫呢？黑暗中的银幕把我们吸入另一个世界。某种独特经验从我们不同的人生管道滑过，让我们对电影呈现的生活切片会心一笑，因画面勾起的个人思考而心潮澎湃，又因为这种激荡心情被作者表达和言说而感到舒畅。

我希望这样的浪漫能为更多人所享受。

《江湖儿女》3.15本周五纽约院线首映

第一期观影活动就情深义重：本周五，贾樟柯导演的新片《江湖儿女》在纽约院线上映，我期待带大家一起去看这部电影。

在去年纽约电影节的访谈里，贾樟柯说，取名《江湖儿女》是听说费穆导演想拍的最后一部片子叫这个名字，虽然影片内容毫无关系，名字让他着迷。江湖，是一个在中国不需要解释也说不清楚的概念。

科长小时候很喜欢江湖故事，因为江湖里的人，有血有肉，给他留下很深的印象。科长七八岁时有过一段街头生活，当十几岁孩子打架的时候，他负责运送砖块和石子。江湖也是科长八十年代最喜欢的影片，常在录像厅看，从胡金铨的明代，到张彻的清代，到吴宇森的八九十年代香港，江湖故事表现了动荡时期人们的反叛。

然而，随着时间推移，江湖变了。如今也有兄弟互帮，但是打架的义务可以由公司代理。有时一方打电话给公司，对方也打电话，结果打手属于同一家公司，互相推搡几下就回家了。小时候港片里黑帮大佬说江湖也要”企业化“，科长现在感到了这个词的分量。

科长说，《江湖儿女》是关于一个人如何被时间改变的电影。他过去的影片关注变化带来的新感受和新状态，例如《小武》的孤独，《站台》追求自由的热望，但是这次拍摄的是扎根在中国人心里的江湖情谊，在时间的考验下看它的变与不变，理解情感中最隐秘的部分。

起名轶事：科长喜欢江湖这个词带有的古义。同事说明明是个现代故事，别用江湖，古装不好卖，但拗不过科长，问英文名能不能好好想想。科长说，Money and Love，喜欢的就是这种粗野感，不得已要改得文雅，想到江湖儿女们走到火山前的一场戏，说起经历高温燃烧，火山灰才是最纯净的：Ash is Purest White。

注：以上内容来自我去年在纽约电影节（New York Film Festival）听贾樟柯访谈的个人笔记，“洛杉矶华语影视联盟”的推文有更详细的导演阐释和导演访谈。https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/eJicpvuvWi0zynRLltS6lA
影片基本信息

贾樟柯 导演作品
2018年/中国•法国/剧情片/141分钟
剧情梗概：巧巧爱上了街头黑帮斌哥。在一次街头火拼中，巧巧开枪保护斌哥，被判入狱五年。巧巧出狱以后，想找回斌哥，重新开始生活。

3月15日登录北美院线：
购票信息见各影院官网

纽约

Walter Reade Theater at Lincoln Center

(165 W 65th St, New York, NY 10023)

Quad Cinema

(34 W 13th St, New York, NY 10011)

洛杉矶

Laemmle Monica

Arclight Hollywood

旧金山

Landmark Embarcadero

Landmark Shattuck

Smith Rafael Film Center

观影团福利

无论你与贾樟柯的江湖是初次见面，还是已经在纽约电影节一睹为快，都欢迎你加入“纽约观影团”微信群，了解最新的影讯，共同前往观看《江湖儿女》！我们可以在群里讨论具体的观看时间，获得优惠的团体票，进行映后的圆桌（饭桌）讨论，收获涛姐表情包。

和「纽约观影团」看《江湖儿女》

如果你对《江湖儿女》这类艺术电影感兴趣，且人在纽约，请扫描我的微信，备注“观影团-姓名-坐标-学校专业-工作”，我将邀请你加入“纽约观影团”微信群。

PS：如果你不在纽约，我会邀请你加入“北美观影团”，也许能为你找到当地的影迷组织，例如加拿大多伦多的小玄儿观影团（群主小玄儿：xuanyi0415），洛杉矶华语影视联盟（WeChat ID: CIELosAngeles）。

群主：应婕晓 Vivian WeChat:Vivian_afro
发送“姓名+学校+专业/工作”，参与「纽约观影群」或「北美观影群」，一起看电影！