Clarence Tsui, director of Broadway Cinematheque recommends six movies to watch from their 25th anniversary programme, Radu Jude Retrospective
Since opening its doors in 1996, Broadway Cinematheque (BC) has established itself as an irreplaceable cinematic cultural landmark in Hong Kong. The Yau Ma Tei-based cinema has housed indie films, art-house cinemas, film festivals, retrospectives and film events. In celebration of its 25th anniversary, BC is hosting a series of activities under the theme of “Seize Your Moments in Our Space” from December 16, 2021 to January 14, 2022. Taking centre stage is their first Romanian programme dedicated to filmmaker, Radu Jude.
Speaking exclusively to Tatler, director of BC Clarence Tsui says, “We champion films which could at once be humorous and also hard-hitting in their observations about society; experimental in seeking new forms of expression and empathetic towards time-honoured values such as liberty, equality and fraternity for all.”
The reason to highlight Radu Jude for their 25th anniversary is that “[He] ticks all [of the above] boxes, and more. In his two-decade career, Radu has transcended barriers and confronted taboos with incredible ease, as he reveals the social malaise in his country, Romania, through social realist comedies, a black-and-white Western, beautifully mounted period drama and documentaries using archive footage, photographs and even plastic toys.”
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Tsui adds that Jude’s films “are also universal and speak to us” because of his “critique about state-sponsored patriotism, and all the terrible things people have been led to think and do in its name, is equally applicable to societies around the world as those in power seek to distract people from their mistakes and misdemeanours. Funny and fearless in equal measures, he’s the 21st century equivalent of the boy who sees through the emperor’s new clothes and dares to say something about that.”
Getting the chance to see Romanian films in Hong Kong is rare and many Hongkongers might not be so familiar with them. To help with that, Tsui is personally recommending six movies from Jude’s retrospective and why you should watch them.
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