April 14, 1998 Contact Pauline Austin (541) 346-3129 Editors note: Storeys is spelled correctly in the film title, "12 Storeys." Tapes of the films are available for viewing at the Center for Asian and Pacific Studies. To arrange to see the tapes, call Jon Labrousse,(541) 346-5084. EUGENE--The 1998 Asian Film Tour, sponsored in Eugene by the University of Oregon's Center for Asian and Pacific Studies, will screen films from six Asian countries. Sponsored nationally by the Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema/USA (NETPAC) and the Asia Pacific Media Center, the series will open Monday, May 11, at the Bijou Art Cinemas, 492 E. 13th Ave. The film series runs through Friday, May 15, with all but one film starting at 1 p.m. Audiences may attend an additional screening at 3 p.m. May 15. The films are free and open to the public, but a donation of $1 for each film is suggested. The goal of the annual Asian Film Tour is to promote cultural understanding between the peoples of Asia and the United States through screenings of some important new Asian feature films, giving American audiences the opportunity to hear diverse voices and to see unique visions outside the Hollywood mainstream. "This year, we intend to introduce Southeast Asian cinemas that are underrepresented in the United States, such as that of Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines," says Jeannette Paulson Hereniko, president of NETPAC and director of the Asia Pacific Media Center. "While there is no denial that Greater China, including mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan, represents one of the most important national cinemas in Asia," she says the emerging national cinemas of some smaller Asian countries also deserve special attention. Show dates for the films, all screening at 1 p.m. except as noted, are: * Monday, May 11--"12 Storeys" (Singapore, 1997) takes place in one of Singapore's Housing and Development Board (HDB) flats. Calm and peaceful on the surface, all characters in the film are emotionally desperate and spiritually disillusioned. Directed by Singapore's emerging young filmmaker Eric Khoo, "12 Storeys" casts a cold look at life under the roofs of the HDB flats. The film was Singapore's official selection for the 1997 Cannes International Film Festival, and it has just won the grand prize at the Hawaii International Film Festival. * Tuesday, May 12--"Deep River" (Japan, 1995). Beautifully rendered, this film was made by the internationally renowned filmmaker Kei Kumai, whose works have won awards at a number of international film festivals, including competitions in Germany, Italy and India. The film concerns three generations of Japanese tourists traveling to India--specifically Varanasi and the banks of the Ganga--to seek salvation and a peace that they could not discover at home. Mixing Christianity and Buddhism, the film takes an earnest look at the search for meaning beyond the ego. When the film played at the 1996 India International Film Festival and the 1995 Montreal International Film Festival, it received both critical and popular acclaim. At the 1998 Hawaii International Film Festival, "Deep River" was voted the most popular film by the audience. * Wednesday, May 13--"Fun, Bar, Karaoke" (Thailand, 1997) takes place in Bangkok. Although cities like Tokyo and New York are cosmopolitan and modern, people there still turn to fortune-tellers and frequent Karaoke bars to fill the spiritual emptiness. A study as well as a satire of the co-existence of modernity and superstition, "Fun, Bar, Karaoke" is director Penek Ratanaruang's debut feature film. * Thursday, May 14--"Milagros" (Philippines, 1997), made by director and producer Marilou Diaz-Abaya, is a thoughtfully composed portrait of a woman who decides to leave her job as a Manila stripper and go back to her family, where she finds nothing can ever be the same. The script for "Milagros" was written for Diaz-Abaya some 10 years ago by the late poet playwright Roland S. Tinio. After winning a national literary contest, the screenplay received renewed interest and was eventually completed in 1997. * Friday, May 15, 1 p.m.--"Lar Darja" ("The Red Door") (India, 1997). The leading character of "Lar Darja," Nabin Datta, appears to have a satisfying and successful life as a dentist in Calcutta. But the breakup of his marriage initiates a serious mid-life crisis. In an attempt to regain his spiritual peace, he goes back to his childhood dream, in which he is at peace with everyday pleasures and his surrounding environment. The films of director and poet Buddhadeb Dasgupta have been screened at major film festivals, including Cannes, Berlin and Venice. He has earned critical acclaim and numerous awards and has six volumes of verse and three novels to his credit. "Lar Darja" just won the National Film Award, India's top film prize. * Friday, May 15, 3 p.m.--"A Single Spark" (Korea, 1996). This film by award-winning filmmaker Park Kwang-su, hailed as a leader of Korean new wave cinema, tells the story of the life and death of Korea's labor union martyr, Chon T'ae-il, who immolated himself at the age of 22. While the subject matter is astutely political, framed through the perspective of a writer who tries to reconstruct the martyr's life, the film breaks down the stereotyped convention of biographical filming and can be seen as the writer's own journey to spiritual reflection. For more information, contact the UO Center for Asian and Pacific Studies, (541) 346-5087. -30- #P-6092/Local,A&E,Special