WELCOMING IN 2023: THE YEAR OF THE RABBIT
NEW CHINESE FAMILY MOVIES STREAM FOR FREE IN THE U.S. & CANADA
January 22- February 5, 2023
CHICAGO, IL – In honor of the Lunar Calendar's Chinese New Year Celebration of 2023, Asian Pop-Up Cinema continues to present an excellent free streaming movie series for U.S. and Canadian viewers to enjoy.
Focused on family films, this series begins on the first day of the new year and end on the 15th day, the first full moon between January 22 and February 5, 2023. Sponsored by the Consulate General of the People's Republic of China in Chicago, and in partnership with China Lion Films Distributions, and Smart Cinema USA the online program brings some popular Chinese films to audiences in North America.
Films include two North American premieres SO LONG SUMMER VACATION, an only child's perspective about being left alone at home while both parents work, and he has nothing to do; and GG BOND OCEAN DIARY, the seventh animated feature film based on a computer-animated fantasy television show created by Zhibin “Ben” Gu and produced by WinSing Animation.
Two additional feature films include LIGHTING UP THE STARS, a blockbuster at the Chinese Box Office, a little orphan girl and ex-con form a unique bond that creates a father and daughter relationship that changes both of their lives; and HERO (formally known as Her Story), directed by three women who tell the story of three ordinary women's love lives, careers, and families during the COVID-19 pandemic.
A special encore screening of the documentary, FOUR SPRINGS, captures the flow of life and everyday routines of the director's own parents for four consecutive Lunar New year activities in their hometown of Dushan.
All films will be in Mandarin or local dialects with English subtitles. All viewers are required to register first to receive their valid links.
More info: www.asianpopupcinema.org/lny2023
Lighting Up The Stars
((人生大事))
Director:  Liu Jiangjiang
Drama | 2022 | 112 minutes
Cast: Zhu Yilong, Yang Enyou, Ge Wang, Liu Lu, Li Chunyuan, Janice Wu, Luo Jingmin, Zheng Weili, Chen Chuang, Liu Yajin, Xiao Ai
An ex-con funeral director (Zhu Yilong) unexpectedly connects with a little girl (Yang Enyou) after the death of her grandmother, changing his outlook on life.
So Long Summer Vacation
((暑期何漫漫))
Director: Bo REN
Drama, Family | 2021 | 97 minutes
This story features a single child in China in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Chen Xiaojin, the only boy of a couple who earn a good living, threw himself into a month-long endeavor to explore the outside world while he was left alone at home during the summer vacation.
GG Bond Ocean Diary
(( çŒªçŒªä¾ å¤§ç”µå½±Â·æµ·æ´‹æ—¥è®° ))
Director: Zhong Yu
Animated | 2022 | 85 min
The Agent Team releases a mission to search for a dangerous weapon lost in the vast sea. The Star Agent, GG Bond, volunteers to take up the task alone. In this journey, he meets Noah who is devoted to looking for his brother. They go through all the difficulties together.
Hero (Also known as Her Story)
(( 世间有她 ))
Directors: Joan Chen, Sylvia Chang, Li Shao Hong
Drama | 2022 | 117 minutes
Cast:  Zhou Xun, Sammi Cheng, Jackson Yee, Xu Di, Stephen Fung, Bai Ke Li, Huang Mi Yi, Nina Paw, Li Ya Nan, Tumen Bayar
Set in 2020, three women's' lives are told by three female directors as they navigate the uncertain future amongst their respective friends and family. From the struggles at home to the struggles with relationships to the struggles with work, Hero showcases how individuals rise with strength when faced with plights unknown.
Four Springs
((四个春天))
Director: Lu Qingyi
Documentary | 2017 | 105 minutes
Cast: Lu Yunkun, Li Guixian
Four Springs is a documentary film that presents a family's daily life in the remote town in Guizhou. From a subjective angle, the camera introduces the flow of life out of the screen: the singing, excursions in nature, visits among friends and extended families, funerals, reunions, and separation. It presented the state of being of the two main characters, the director's own parents, and their attitude when facing irretrievable loss in life.
ABOUT SOPHIA'S CHOICE / ASIAN POP-UP CINEMA
Asian Pop-Up Cinema, a semi-annual Asian Film Festival, is the brainchild of Sophia Wong Boccio, founder of Sophia's Choice, a Chicago-based 501 C (3) not-for-profit incorporated in 2015 with the multi-pronged mission of cultivating an interest in and understanding of Asian cultures via a diverse offering of Asian films; connecting the Asian film industry with local Chicago film professionals, educators, and students; and promoting Chicago as a destination for international visitors.
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