ACMI - Between the Screens

Reflection Eternal

"I found that what attracts me the most, and becomes my material, is the process of filmmaking itself."
- Yang Fudong

Reflexivity is a concept deployed by filmmakers and artists, a means of self-reference in which the artist’s hand is seen and felt through the work. In Yang Fudong’s The Fifth Night, we break cinema’s fourth wall and examine the machinations of filmmaking and the deconstruction of cinema itself.

We also pay special attention to the gaps in-between the screens and imagine the audiences creating their own narrative as ‘second director’.

Finally we ask you to think about how you see the world, and, your place within it.

Image courtesy of Yang Fudong,
ShanghART Gallery and Marian Goodman Gallery

Unfurling the Scroll

Assistant Curator, Ulanda Blair, gives insight into the unique and challenging process of making the The Fifth Night, which was filmed from multiple perspectives all in the same moment. Yang draws on inspiration from film noir and cinematic traditions to create images that shift our perception of reality and asks audiences to think about their own narratives.

"In ancient Chinese painting, there has always been an emphasis on liu bai – what’s left undrawn on the paper. For me, no matter whether I am making a video or a film, the same idea applies… The undrawn part in a work is there for the audience to engage with, using their imagination for viewing and interpretation."
- Yang Fudong

Unpacking Filmscapes ...The Fifth Night

Perspective is just a matter of perspective.

View captioned video

Click screen to pause

Image courtesy of Yang Fudong,
ShanghART Gallery and Marian Goodman Gallery

The Master of Poetic Lament

Wong Kar-wai's films rise above the inherent limitations of film genre and clichés of Eastern identity. His lonely characters search for meaning in neon-lit streets and bars, passive and often outsiders, their journeys are internal, affixing a sense of the personal to Hong Kong's commercial landscape.

Wong shifts focus in The Grandmaster to bridge the historically turbulent divide between China’s north and south, exploring themes of national identity, cultural heritage and Chinese diaspora.

Hong Kong-based researcher, curator and critic, Sam Ho, discusses how Wong imbues his fascination with the unresolved relationship into the martial arts genre, and the poetic sensibility of Chinese filmmaking.

“I hope it [The Grandmaster] will help people to realise what is actually in the roots of the Chinese mentality."
- Wong Kar-wai

Popcorn Moment with... The Grandmaster

Sam Ho discusses the poetic dimensions of master film maker Wong Kar-wai.

View captioned video

Click screen to pause

Submit Your Photos!