POPULAR FREE MOVIE WITH MOONCAKES EVENT RETURNS
Popular FREE MOVIE WITH MOONCAKES event returns
Celebrating the Mid-Autumn Festival at Chicago Cultural Center
Chicago, IL August 28, 2024 – In collaboration with the Chicago Film Office, Chicago Asian Pop-Up Cinema (APUC) will present the Chicago premiere of Zhang Yudi’s acclaimed film THE MIDSUMMER'S VOICE on September 22 at 2:00 PM at the Claudia Cassidy Theater in the Chicago Cultural Center (78 E. Washington St., 2nd Floor North). Sponsored by the Consulate General of the People’s Republic of China, this annual “Free Movie with Mooncakes” event is presented in celebration of the Mid-Autumn Festival widely observed across Asian communities.
Susanna Sun, a Ph.D. student in East Asian Languages and Civilizations & Theatre and Performance Studies at the University of Chicago, will present in person a short lecture about “Peking Opera” before the feature presentation. Additionally, the director Yudi will introduce the film on video for this premiere. In the spirit of the Mid-Autumn Festival, each attendee will receive a specially wrapped mooncake, symbolizing unity and prosperity after the film. Doors open at 1:30 PM.
“The Midsummer’s Voice, brilliantly performed by emerging talent, focuses on the experience of new generation of opera singer students who still study this thousand-year-old ancient art while juggling between modern life and tradition,” said Sophia Wong Boccio, Founder & Executive Director.
The Midsummer’s Voice is a coming-of-age story following a dedicated Peking Opera student on the brink of his first life-changing competition. As he struggles with the pressures of adolescence and a delayed voice change that threatens his performance, he finds unexpected friendship in two competitors. The film stars Cheng Bian, Zhou Meijun, Zhang Chi and Chen Shaoxi and continues to garner acclaim, winning the “First Venture Capital Award” at the FIRST International Film Festival and receiving China’s “Good Story Award” at the China Golden Rooster & Hundred Flowers Film Festival.
The film is a feature-length adaptation of Yudi’s 2020 short film of the same name, winning the Special Jury Award for Best Live-Action Short Under 15 Minutes at the Palm Springs International Film Festival and nominated in prestigious festivals including the Cork International Film Festival and Philadelphia International Film Festival. Yudi is a graduate of the University of Southern California with notable film credits including Marie, a short film with nominations in the Florida Film Festival and the Newport Beach Film Festival.
More info: www.asianpopupcinema.org
ABOUT CHICAGO ASIAN POP-UP CINEMA
Chicago Asian Pop-Up Cinema, an 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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For more information, contact: Danielle Garnier, danielle@garnierpr.com 312-841-3500