The 2009 Seattle International Film Festival will feature several films from China.  SIFF begins May 8.  Visit www.siff.net for more information.

Wild Rose
May 25, 1:30pm, Egyptian Theatre
Sun Yu's silent film takes us on an exuberant journey through the entrenched class divisions of 1930s China. Xiao Feng, a headstrong village girl, and Jiang Bo, a painter from a wealthy family, find common ground in progressive politics and in service to their country. (China, 1932, 82 min.) Director: Sun Yu. Featuring live piano accompaniment by Donald Sosin.

Red Race
June 8, 7:00pm, SIFF Cinema
June 11, 4:30pm, SIFF Cinema
This observational documentary introduces us to the world of a group of young Chinese children enrolled in an intensive gymnastics training program. Every adult in their lives conditions them to seek one ultimate goal: winning a gold medal at the Olympics. This detailed insight captures the contradictions of modern China and the cost paid for the country's dreams. (China, 2008, 70 min.) Director: Gan Chao. The June 8 screening is a Talking Pictures screening and will be followed by an engaging panel discussion.

The Shaft
June 4, 4:45pm, Pacific Place
June 14, 6:30pm, Pacific Place
Set amid the imposing mountains of western China, the dreams, disappointments and resolve of a tightly knit family of coalminers poignantly reflect the plight of a vast number of ordinary laborers unable to climb the ladder of the country's post-Communist economy. (China, 2008, 98 min.) Director: Zhang Chi.

Forever Enthralled
June 7, 9:15pm, Uptown Cinema
June 10, 9:15pm, Admiral Theatre
June 13, 3:00pm, Cinerama
Chen Kaige returns to the genre that brought him the biggest acclaim of his career in Farewell My Concubine. This opulent period drama is the story of Mei Lanfang, the famous Peking opera singer of such virtuosity that he bewitched audiences worldwide making him one of China's true national treasures. (China, 2009, 147 min.) Director: Chen Kaige.