Beijing during the 2008 Olympic Games was a spectacle for the world to behold.  The government choreographed a wondrous synchronized performance that showed people harmoniously beating the drums of victory.  In the backstreets of the city, however, a different drum was playing.  Chinese Skinhead Leijun and his band Mi San Dao (or “Cream Puff” in English) take notes from the British punk era, homogenizing the days of rude boys, the Clash, and combat boots. They use English lyrics as a stylistic choice, expressing their dissent of the status quo in a foreign language using personal words. Their music is undoubtedly dangerous, as it stands in direct opposition to the government it so rebels against.  Standing contrarily to the bureaucracy is the tireless sludge of distorted guitar riffs and cigarette smoke.

Director Shaun Jefford, an Australian from a working class background minus a conventional path into the film industry, is an eccentric filmmaker with a flare for international work, including Bollywood.  He is sensitive to the complexities of the nation and its people, faithfully conveying the hardships of those attempting to make punk music in the current conditions of the People’s Republic of China.  This film is the first from the East Asian Research Society film festival.

Beijing Punk screens February 12 in the Michael Sadler Rupert Beckett lecture theatre. Doors: 6.30

Direct inquiries to: ears.soc@gmail.com 

Additional film screenings: February 13 (Udon), 15 (Holly)

Lenhardt Stevens