FOREST WHITAKER screens RAISE THE RED LANTERN October 10, 2006

AFI & SKIRBALL invite YOU to meet some of today’s most influential
filmmakers at…

CINEMA’S LEGACY:

Appearing this month (TUESDAY, OCTOBER 10):
Forest Whitaker!

Accomplished and prolific actor/director/producer FOREST WHITAKER (The Last King of Scotland, Waiting to Exhale, The Crying Game) presents Zhang Yimou’s breathtaking classic Raise The Red Lantern.
Q&A to precede the screening with Forest Whitaker.

FOREST WHITAKER screens RAISE THE RED LANTERN
Directed by Zhang Yimou
Starring Gong Li.
1991 125MIN 35MM

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 10, 7:30 PM*
at the Skirball Cultural Center
2701 N. Sepulveda Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90049 • (310) 440-4500 • www.skirball.org
*cash bar and healthy concession at 7 PM. Event starts at 7:30
Avoid the traffic—take Mulholland Drive. It’s breathtaking and so simple!

$10 General • $8 AFI, Skirball, and Cinema’s Legacy Members* • $6 Students. Advance tickets recommended: Available via TicketWeb at (866) 468-3399 or www.ticketweb.com. Tickets also available at the door on a first-come, first-served basis.

*To become a member of the Cinema’s Legacy Google group and receive ticket discounts and information on upcoming events, please email us at [email protected]

For more about the Cinema’s Legacy series, visit www.afi.com.

ABOUT FOREST WHITAKER:
Forest Whitaker, one of Hollywood’s most accomplished actors/directors/producers, has showcased his talents in a multitude of demanding and diverse roles.

Whitaker has most recently garnered critical attention for his powerful performance as Idi Amin in The Last King of Scotland as well as on The Shield opposite Michael Chiklis. In addition, he recently completed the suspense thriller Vantage Point opposite Dennis Quaid and Matthew Fox. His upcoming films include the 2008 release Where the Wild Things Are with director Spike Jonze. He will also be seen in the upcoming ensemble The Air I Breathe with Kevin Bacon and Andy Garcia.

Other acting film credits include Witness Prosecution for HBO, Light It Up, Platoon, The Crying Game, Good Morning Vietnam, The Color of Money and Fast Times at Ridgemont High.

Forest Whitaker made his feature film directing debut with the critically acclaimed box office hit Waiting to Exhale for Twentieth Century Fox. He first gained recognition as a director for the HBO original film Strapped, for which he received Best New Director honors at the Toronto Film Festival. He also directed Twentieth Century Fox’s Hope Floats starring Sandra Bullock. Whitaker served as executive producer on each of these film’s multi-platinum soundtracks, with sales of over 12 million copies collectively and a combined total of 14 Grammy nominations.

ABOUT THE FILM:
The beautifully photographed Raise The Red Lantern is set in Northern China during the 1920s. After her father’s death, 19-year-old Songlian (Gong Li) is forced to marry Chen Zuoqian (Ma Jingwu), an older powerful man who is already known as “The Master” to his three other wives. Each wife lives in a separate residence and competes for The Master’s attention. Every night Chen must choose which wife to spend the night with, and a red lantern is lit in front of the house of his choice. The wives scheme and plot to be chosen by The Master, but things soon get out of hand.

Raise The Red Lantern was adapted by Ni Zhen from the 1990 novella Wives and Concubines by Su Tong. Noted for its rich visuals, it was nominated for an Academy Award as Best Foreign Language Film in 1992. The film’s phenomenal success cemented Zhang Yimou’s status as a leading figure in world cinema.

ABOUT CINEMA'S LEGACY:
Inspired by a simple question—“What filmmaker has most inspired you?”—Cinema’s Legacy is an ongoing monthly series of conversations where contemporary filmmakers screen work they credit with encouraging and shaping their art and discuss firsthand the films and filmmakers that have influenced their careers. Presented by the American Film Institute and the Skirball Cultural Center, this acclaimed series has featured numerous notable filmmakers including most recent guests Oliver Stone, Dennis Hopper, Jon Favreau, and John Landis. Additional information about the series is available at www.afi.com.

Official Website: http://skirball.org