Ode to Joy + A Portrait of Mr. Huang

Introduction by guest curator Shelly Kraicer

Ode to Joy 彩排记 (Cai pai ji) 

Dir. Qiu Jiongjiong. 2008, 31 mins. This dazzlingly playful short documentary—an essential background for Qiu’s A New Old Play—remixes a Sichuan opera company’s dress rehearsal for its tribute to Qiu Fuxin, the director’s grandfather, who was a legendary opera performer of “clown” comedic roles, and the real-life subject of A New Old Play. This exuberant celebration of a not-yet-lost past reactivates the memories of aging yet irrepressibly vital stage artists. 

A Portrait of Mr. Huang 黄老老拍案 (Huang Laolao pai an) 

Dir. Qiu Jiongjiong. 2009, 40 mins. In Chinese with English subtitles. Part of Qiu’s “chatterbox” oral history trilogy, this short documentary focuses on storyteller and ex-cop Huang Songnian. Qiu playfully cuts between Huang’s wildly entertaining, sometimes very dark stories of intrepid forensic police work (including a super queasy tale of maggots and a body and another of rural cannibalism) and disruptive yet suitable Sichuan opera excerpts, pigeon portraits, and Qiu’s own, charming chalk drawings. 

Tickets: $15 / $11 senior and students / $9 youth (ages 3–17) / discounted for MoMI members ($7–$11). Order tickets. Please pick up tickets at the Museum’s admissions desk upon arrival. All seating is general admission. Review safety protocols before your visit.