SFMOMA | Exhibitions + Events | Calendar | Rediscovering the Fourth Generation

October 04 - October 30, 2008
Rediscovering the Fourth Generation Phyllis Wattis Theater The Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution (1966-76) in China, led by Chairman Mao and his Communist Party, affected all aspects of society - social, economic, political, and cultural. During this time film production came to a virtual halt, save for Maoist propaganda films modeled after revolutionary operas (yangbanxi) produced in the early 1970s. Most young intellectuals, including many young graduates of the Beijing Film Academy, were sent to the countryside for "reeducation." When cinema production resumed post-Mao, these filmmakers answered an urgent need for a cultural response to the past decade of turmoil and repression. Operating within a shifting political landscape and facing state censorship, the filmmakers, known as the Fourth Generation, sought to distance themselves from socialist politics by creating rich, humanist works and experimenting with style and technique. Many of the resulting films have been largely unknown in the West. This series celebrates the achievements of this group of exciting filmmakers, many of whom are still working today. $5 general; free for SFMOMA members or with museum admission (requires a free ticket, which can be picked up in the Haas Atrium). Double features: films offered on the same date are included in one ticket. Tickets are available at the Museum (with no surcharge) or online. This series includes selections from Shelly Kracier's "Rediscovering the Fourth Generation" program, organized for the 37th Annual International Film Festival of Rotterdam. Buy tickets

Past

Buy tickets Rediscovering the Fourth Generation

River Without Buoys
Wu Tian Ming, 1983, 89 min.
River Without Buoys follows the lives of three male seamen traveling down the Xiao River during the Chinese Cultural Revolution…

Buy tickets River Without Buoys

River Without Buoys follows the lives of three male seamen traveling down the Xiao River during the Chinese Cultural Revolution (1966-1976). This film narrates their experiences…

Buy tickets Rediscovering the Fourth Generation

Black Snow
Xie Fei, 1989, 99 min.
Noted as cinematically prophetic in its narration of China during its post-Tiananmen Square era, Black Snow accounts the life of a young man…

Buy tickets My Memories of Old Beijing

Seen through the gaze of a curious eleven-year-old girl, My Memories of Old Beijing is Director Wu Yigong's homage to a China sixty-years gone. My Memories of Old Beijing is based on…

Buy tickets Rediscovering the Fourth Generation

River Without Buoys
Wu Tian Ming, 1983, 89 min.
River Without Buoys follows the lives of three male seamen traveling down the Xiao River during the Chinese Cultural Revolution…

Buy tickets Black Snow

Noted as cinematically prophetic in its narration of China during its post-Tiananmen Square era, Black Snow accounts the life of a young man recently discharged from prison. The…

Buy tickets Rediscovering the Fourth Generation

Black Snow
Xie Fei, 1989, 99 min.
Noted as cinematically prophetic in its narration of China during its post-Tiananmen Square era, Black Snow accounts the life of a young man…

Buy tickets Woman Demon Human

Considered China's "only genuine feminist film", Woman Demon Human stages an unorthodox biopic of famed Beijing Opera star Pei Yanling whose career was noted for her…

Film at SFMOMA is generously supported by the Phyllis C. Wattis Foundation.

Thursday Nights at SFMOMA are sponsored by Banana Republic. Virgin America is the official airline of Thursday Nights at SFMOMA.

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