Chinese New Year in Keswick, The Lake District
Welcoming in the Chinese New Year in Keswick
MINT Chinese Film Festival, Keswick Alhambra Cinema 1-4 Feb
Crafting at Keswick Museum 10-11.45 Sat 3 Feb
Chinese Dragon Procession Fitz Park, Keswick 12 noon Sat 3 Feb
Taste of Tai Chi, 2 & 3pm Keswick Methodist Church
To welcome in the Chinese New Year of the Dragon, we are delighted to announce the second edition of the MINT Chinese Film Festival in Keswick!
Alongside the Film Festival are some FREE fun activities for all
on Saturday 3rd February:
10-12 am there will be a Chinese paper craft session at Keswick Museum, hosted by the Lancaster Confucius Institute, followed by, at
12 noon in Fitz Park just outside the museum, a little procession with a big Chinese dragon and firecrackers!
2 and 3pm two sessions of Tai Chi in the Methodist Church Hall on Southey Street
This year's film programme from Thursday through Sunday is an amazing selection of 14 feature-length films, 3 short film strands, two panel discussions, and a Festival Gala on the Friday night, with a free drink, and haunting newly-composed score performed live with harp and electronica to accompany the classic silent 1927 Chinese film Romance of the Western Chamber, (with a brief introduction to explain the history and context of the film).
If you just want to dip in to the film programme (obviously there will be English subtitles for all films), the Alhambra's top recommendations are:
Thursday 1st Feb 7.20pm MILLENNIUM MAMBO
Friday 2nd Feb 5.30pm OPENING GALA SILENT FILM WITH LIVE MUSIC
Friday 2nd Feb 7.30 pm THIS WOMAN
Saturday 3rd Feb 10am YANGZI'S CONFUSION
Saturday 3rd Feb 8 pm SNOW LEOPARD
Sunday 4th Feb YI YI(A One and a Two)
The retro/classics strand, 'A One-and-a-Two (Yi Yi)' and 'Millennium Mambo' are both Taiwanese films from 2000 that have won multiple international awards and give a real flavour of life there at the turn of the century. The rest of the festival features newly released commercial films, selected by curator Yixiang Shirley Lin, and brand-new film competition entries, selected by a jury, all of which feature absolutely astounding film-making - there is so much talent out there! Do give the synopses and trailers a browse.
(If you're wondering why a Chinese film festival in Keswick, it's because I - cinema co-owner Carol, have a background in Chinese studies, have lived in China and Taiwan, and just love Chinese film - I bumped into a young Chinese woman in Kendal last year, just graduating in film curation and exhibition from the University of Edinburgh, who explained that there were loads of Chinese students in the UK studying film - there was our market for a Chinese film festival - why not try to do that in the north rather than in London?! Last year's event was a tremendous success, so we're hoping we might be able to sustain that and make it an annual event.
and £12 for the festival gala film with drinks and live music.