THEATER and FILM : Cal State Fullerton Presents 3 Days of Asian-Pacific Films

The eight-film sampling of contemporary Asian-Pacific cinema that Cal State Fullerton is presenting for a three-day run beginning tonight is unusual in more ways than one.

Most of the movies are new, at least to Orange County. Beyond that, the 1988 Pacific Rim Film Festival, as it is being called, is touring eight West Coast campuses--the first such collaboration, organizers say, among American universities involving Asian-Pacific films.

Launched Wednesday at San Diego State, the festival will move to Pacific Christian College Theatre in Fullerton for the Cal State Fullerton presentation, then to USC’s Norris Cinema Theatre (where four of the films will be shown Sunday and Monday and on to Cal State campuses in Bakersfield, Fresno, San Jose and Sacramento and UC Santa Cruz.

Why this togetherness? The reasons are all too apparent, festival supporters say. This is, they note, an era of rising economic and political challenges from the Far East, so Asian-Pacific studies is a hot topic in America, among not only universities but also corporations.

“Everybody wants to know more about Asia and the Pacific,” said Jerry Samuelson, dean of Cal State Fullerton’s School of the Arts and the CSUF festival coordinator. And, film being “the universal medium, this festival is one of the best barrier-breakers we can think of.”

The Fullerton lineup boasts eight features from seven lands: Japan, China, South Korea (two films), Taiwan, Thailand, India and New Zealand.

Japan’s “Muddy River” (1981) is the most honored of the lot. Director Kohei Oguri’s drama of survival and innocence in a riverside slum was a huge critical and commercial success in Japan and was nominated for a best foreign-picture Academy Award. (The film was shown at UC Irvine last year as part of the UCI Film Society series.)

China’s “Yellow Earth” (1985), another internationally acclaimed work, has been more controversial. Set in a desolate village, the film by director Chen Kaige deals with clashes between traditional peasant values and the new Communist ideology. Western critics have hailed its characterizations and cinematic style, but China’s cultural ministry shelved the film after Chinese officials denounced it as demeaning to villagers and attacking Communist policies.

However, “Yellow Earth” is off the shelf again. It was presented in New York in late 1986 and was among several Chinese films showcased at UCLA in early 1987. Some specialists believe China’s change of heart reflects the eagerness of many Asian-Pacific countries to “crack” the West’s lucrative commercial movie market.

Other films on the schedule include:

-- “Our Sweet Days of Youth,” a comedy directed by South Korea’s Bae Chang-Ho, about youthful romance and defiance.

-- “Mandala,” South Korean director Im Kwon Taek’s saga of a spiritual search by two monks.

-- “The Time to Live and the Time to Die,” director Hou Hsiao-Hsien’s drama from Taiwan about an exiled matriarch and her children.

-- “Butterfly and Flower,” a coming-of-age drama about young smugglers, directed by Thailand’s Euthana Mukdasnit;

-- “Spices,” Indian director Ketan Metha’s film about tranquil villagers and their overbearing landlord.

-- “Other Halves,” a film from New Zealand by director John Liang about an affair between a white woman and a Maori youth. “Other Halves” is the only English-language film in the festival; the others will be subtitled.

The festival is “strictly a pilot project,” Samuelson said. “We hope it’s a success because we would like to bring it back next year.”

PACIFIC RIM FILM FESTIVAL

TONIGHT

“Our Sweet Days of Youth,” 6:30 p.m.

“Butterfly and Flower,” 9 p.m.

WEDNESDAY

“Mandala,” 4 p.m.

“Other Halves,” 6:30 p.m.

“The Time to Live and the Time to Die,” 9 p.m.

THURSDAY

“Muddy River,” 4 p.m.

“Spices,” 6:30 p.m.

“Yellow Earth,” 9 p.m.

All screenings will be at Pacific Christian College Theatre, 2500 E. Nutwood Ave., Fullerton, across from the Cal State Fullerton campus. Admission is free but reservations are required. Call (714) 773-3371.