Transnational Asian Film Festival: Beyond Biopolitical Bodies

We proudly announce the first Transnational Asian Film Festival at Williams, which will take place March 9-14, 2023. This year’s theme explores the possibilities “Beyond Biopolitical Bodies” and will start with public screenings of three recent films from Japan, South Korea, and China at Images. The festival will close with a round table conversation with two Beijing-based Chinese and Japanese film directors and film distributors based in the US.

The life cycle of birth, old age, illness, and death, while seemingly natural, is continuously subjugated to interference and control. Indeed, our recent COVID-19 experiences make this regulation explicit: Biopolitics is no longer just an academic concept; its omnipresence fleshes out in vlogs and in films in languages we know or we don’t, by people living near or far. How do we (re)claim our bodies while facing choices of life, death, and general well-being? How do individuals rooted in Asian families confront biopolitical power in this interconnected world? How do contemporary Asian communities respond to the social issues of aging, low birth rates, and choices of identity? Join us to enjoy three contemporary films which address these issues, and learn the behind-the-scenes stories of Asian Indie filmmaking!

Thursday (3/9): Plan 75 (2022) directed by Chie Hayakawa, with introduction and Q&A led by Prof. Christopher Bolton. Language: Japanese with English subtitles

Saturday (3/11): Microhabitat (2017) directed by Go-woon Jeon, with introduction and Q&A led by Prof. Olga Kim. Language: Korean with English subtitles

Monday (3/13): Stonewalling (2022) directed by Huang Ji and Ryuji Otsuka, with introduction and Q&A by the two directors. Language: Chinese (Hunanese) with English subtitles

Tuesday (3/14): A Round Table with Directors Huang Ji and Ryuji Otsuka and film distributor Ian Stimler, moderated by Prof. Man He. 4:15pm @ Griffin 3

*All screenings are free and open to public at 7:30pm @ Images

This program is co-sponsored by the Department of Asian Languages, Literatures, and Cultures; Asian Studies; the Center for Global Languages, Literatures, and Cultures; Comparative Literature; Global Studies; the Lecture Committee; Women’s Gender & Sexuality Studies; and the Office of Institutional Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.