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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (March 20, 2019)
Page 2 March 20, 2019 First-time writer- director Qui Sheng explores connections with time and nature that feel endangered by “progress” in his film “Suburban Birds” which plays again on Wednesday, March 20 at the Portland International Film Festival. Providing Insurance and Financial Services Home Office, Bloomington, Illinois 61710 Ernest J. Hill, Jr. Agent 311 NE Killingsworth St, Portland, OR 97211 503 286 1103 Fax 503 286 1146 ernie.hill.h5mb@statefarm.com 24 Hour Good Neighbor Service R State Farm R Film Fest is Window to World o PinionAted J udge by d arleen o rtega As the Portland International Film Festival enters its final days, there are still some noteworthy of- ferings--and a few of the films that have finished their festival run are worth watching for in theaters or online. Among the films you can still see, “Suburban Birds” rewards the investment of attention and imagination necessary to appreci- ate its poetic approach to storytell- ing. First-time writer-director Qui Sheng tells two parallel stories, the first involving a team of land engineers attempting to investi- gate a tilt that has compromised new construction, and the other in- volving a group of children, in the same space but possibly not in the same time. The sensitive man and boy at the center of each respec- tive story has the same name and may be the same person--and in its enigmatic way, the film explores connections with time and nature that feel endangered by what hu- mans tend to view as “progress.” It plays on Wednesday, March 20 at Fox Tower. The screening I saw of “Don- bass” generated a lot of interest, perhaps from people who are fans of celebrated Ukrainian director Sergey Loznitsa or are more fa- miliar that I am with the conflict raging in eastern Ukraine’s Don- bass region. In 13 shifting set- tings, the film depicts stories of corruption and sectarian violence so disturbing that one feels they almost belong in a different time. Journalists, soldiers, people living in abject poverty and others enjoy- ing cartoonish wealth, staged fake news and community brutality that resembles scenes from Nazi Germany--it all adds up to a dis- turbing picture of the lowest hu- man behavior that made my blood run cold. It’s playing again on Thursday, March 21 at Fox Tower. My favorite film of the festival so far--and an early candidate for my list of the best films of 2019, C ontinued on P age 12 Established 1970 P ublisher : e ditor : Mark Washington, Sr. Michael Leighton A dvertising M AnAger : Office Manager/Classifieds: C reAtive d ireCtor : r ePorter /W eb e ditor : Leonard Latin Lucinda Baldwin ---------------------- USPS 959 680 ------------------ 4747 NE Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd., Portland, OR 97211 The Portland Observer welcomes freelance submissions. Manuscripts and photographs should be clearly labeled and will be returned if accompanied by a self addressed envelope. All created design display ads become the sole property of the newspaper and cannot be used in other publications or personal usage without the written consent of the general manager, unless the client has purchased the composition of such ad. © 2008 THE PORTLAND OBSERVER. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED, REPRODUCTION IN WHOLE OR IN PART WITHOUT PERMISSION IS PROHIBITED. The Portland Observer--Oregon’s Oldest Multicultural Publication--is a member of the National News- paper Association--Founded in 1885, and The National Advertising Representative Amalgamated Publishers, Inc, New York, NY, and The West Coast Black Publishers Association CALL 503-288-0033 Paul Neufeldt FAX 503-288-0015 news@portlandobserver.com • ads@portlandobserver.com Danny Peterson subscription@portlandobserver.com P ubliC r elAtions : Mark Washington Jr. o ffiCe A ssistAnt /s Ales : Shawntell Washington Postmaster: Send address changes to Portland Observer , PO QR code PO Box 3137 , Portland, OR 97208
