The Chicago Asian Pop-Up Cinema in collaboration with the Chicago Film Office, will present the Chicago premiere of Zhang Yudi’s acclaimed film The Midsummer’s Voice on September 22.
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 observed by all the Asian communities.
September 22, 2024 2:00 PM Doors open at 1:30 PM
Claudia Cassidy Theater in the Chicago Cultural Center
78 E. Washington St., 2nd Floor North
Dr. Susanna Sun, a Ph.D. of 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.
“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.
ASIAN POP-UP CINEMA INFO HERE.
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