For the third year in a row, SMC has been selected by the Chinese American Film Festival (CAFF) to host the world premiere of a new motion picture from China, "Silver Spear," at 6:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 30 in Art Lecture Hall 214.

"Silver Spear" is a digital opera production starring Yuan Hui-qin, a leading Peking opera artist from China's National Opera Company. The motion picture combines the traditional art form of Chinese opera with contemporary high-tech film and performance art. This provides a unique visual and musical synthesis of these great art forms on film.

This event is free to the public, and the screening will be followed by a Q&A session with Yuan Hui-qin and Xiao Feng, the film's director. SMC film studies professor Josh Kanin and Chinese professor Joe Wu will co-moderate the discussion.

The purpose of this annual Hollywood-based film festival is to generate widespread awareness and interest in movies and filmmakers from China. Aside from enriching audience appreciation of Chinese film culture, the festival also serves as a platform for international dialogue and collaboration in film education, financing and production, and it has succeeded in building closer ties andgreater economic cooperation between Chinese and American filmmakers. Not only the work of filmmakers from mainland China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong are exhibited in various Southern California theatrical venues, but also major co-productions between China and other countries are showcased.

For information, call Josh Kanin at (310) 434-4588.