Issue:

. . . for two must-see documentary screenings about Asian youth in July. On Tuesday, July 15 at 7 pm, we welcome Haryun Kim with her intimate portrait of migrant-worker children in Guangzhou, China, A Class of Their Own (above, left). The nation’s economic boom has created a constant stream of job-seekers to its cities, bringing with them more than 20 million children. Kim’s film reveals the shocking reality of the growing education underclass in China, even as its young subjects — and several devoted teachers — captivate us with their candor.

On July 24, we welcome Shingo Ota with his heartbreaking film on youth suicide in Japan, The End of the Special Time We Were Allowed (above right). When a childhood friend kills himself in the midst of a documentary project with Ota, the director fulfills his final wish and finishes the film. More than just a record of a life cut short, it is a very personal and, finally, revelatory work.


— Karen Severns