spring wind will bring life again

New York - Anthology Film Archives, Friday, July 3, 2009 at 6PM. $6 for the evening. 32 2nd Avenue at East 2nd Street, New York, NY. Part of the New Filmmakers series.

春风吹又生 spring wind will bring life again
USA 2007 | Run time: 42 min. | Director: Amelia Bryne

We live in a moment where the order of the world is shifting. We are worried, we are hopeful. The film, whose title plays on a Chinese poem about the inevitability of change and the cycle of growth and decline, is a document of this moment. A portrait of Beijing, the city emerges from a construct of fears about its economic rise, evidence in its everyday landscape of its connections with global capitalism, and stories of about living in this pivotal city as it changes.

Contact: ameliabryne@gmail.com
www.MISociety.net

"Your film made me think about it for days after viewing it, I'm so glad to have something which shows so well so many Beijing impressions, the cranes, the brands, the cars...”

"The over-all subject is a compelling one these days, your instincts are right there as well, and I especially liked the narration about the Chinese being awake on the train in the mornings, and the prominence you chose to give to this."

"I liked your use of black and silence/negative space as structural elements. This seemed gutsy and worked very well, getting and holding my attention right from the start as it was unusual. But also from the start was the effective use of text, partly as a visual motif, and the mix of two languages which was really enjoyable (I don't speak any Mandarin, so that text and narration became abstract visual/sound which was very interesting, mixing with the more direct 'meaning' in the English). I also really enjoyed the use of certain words recurring as structural anchors, or beats."

"Our mutual friend gave me a copy of your documentary when he was staying in Manhattan around New Years. I just wanted to say that it is a great piece of art that leaves quite an impression. The first time I saw it was with him in a five star hotel -- the contrast was really quite overwhelming for me at the time. I've been showing it with similar results."

[ about the director ]

Amelia Bryne is an ethnographer and filmmaker. She studied cultural anthropology at Barnard College, Columbia University, New York, USA and new media at the joint Ryerson University/York University program in Communication and Culture, Toronto, Canada. After working as a market analyst for the automotive industry and learning Mandarin, Amelia traveled to Beijing to make "spring wind will bring life again". She has recently completed, WEALTH, a film about the US economy, and is working on pre-production for her next project.

[ director's statement ]

Working as a market analyst for the automotive industry, I read about China everyday. I traveled to Beijing and Shanghai with a company looking to invest in China. I decided to learn Mandarin. Returning to Beijing, I spent three months on the city’s buses and in homes, visiting parks, Amway sales parties, grocery stores, and suburbs. I spoke with people, Chinese and foreign, about their lives, change in the world, and their senses of the future. I am concerned about the human relationship between China, and my country, the US.

[ contact information ]

Amelia Bryne
ameliabryne@gmail.com
www.MISociety.net