Renowned international director Tsai Ming-Liang's latest film to the Walker series, "Abiding Nowhere," was commissioned as part of the 2023 centennial celebration of the Smithsonian National Museum of Asian Art in Washington, D.C. This film is set to have its world premiere during the 2024 Berlin International Film Festival. Following that, the U.S. premiere is scheduled for March 1 at 7:00 PM in the museum’s Meyer Auditorium.
Director Tsai Ming-Liang, along with actors Lee Kang-Sheng and Anong Houngheuangsy, will participate in a post-screening discussion online. Tickets for this event are now available for reservation. In addition to being commissioned by the museum, the film received support from the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of China (Taiwan) and was produced as a collaborative effort between Public Television Service in Taiwan and director Tsai.
"Abiding Nowhere" is the tenth independent production in Tsai Ming-liang's Walker series since 2012. Inspired by the seventh-century monk Xuanzang, who walked from China to India and became the inspiration for the famous literary work "Journey to the West," all the films in the Walker series feature Lee Kang-sheng, Tsai's creative partner, donning the robe of a Buddhist monk, moving slowly through landscapes and interacting with people in cities worldwide.
Chase F. Robinson, the director of the museum, remarked, "I want to thank Tsai Ming-liang for devising such an innovative platform to showcase the National Museum of Asian Art during our centennial and congratulate him and the team on the inclusion in the 2024 Berlinale." Tom Vick, the museum's senior curator of film, who facilitated this project, added, "As a longtime fan of Tsai’s work, it was an honor to be able to commission a film from him. His way of depicting locations in the museum and the D.C. metropolitan area made me see them in a whole new way."
The premiere event will also feature some classic Taiwanese snacks. Interested friends are encouraged to make an online reservation! The event link is as follows: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/film-screening-abiding-nowhere-tickets-793459748467?aff=oddtdtcreator
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