WHAT: Once Upon a Time in Shanghai: Behind the Scenes of the Chinese Movie Industry - An in-person photo presentation by Mark Parascandola on Chinese film sets (Oct 30)

WHEN: October 30, Wednesday 7.00 - 8.00 PM Beijing time

WHERE: La Maison Lyonnaise 2F, 44 Guanghua Lu, Chaoyang District, Beijing.

北京市朝阳区光华路44号（巴西大使馆对面）

MORE ABOUT THE EVENT: China, the world's second largest film market, is home to an expansive state-supported movie and television industry. Entire towns have been constructed around making movies. Film sets here are not mere facades, but rival real world cities and monuments in their scale. During a five-year period, photographer Mark Parascandola visited over a dozen production sites around the country, including the massive Hengdian World Studios, the 1930s-era streetscapes of the Shanghai Film Park, and the rustic Western Film City in Ningxia Province. Given film censorship codes in China, period films often provide a safe format to tell stories using familiar historical settings and locations, recreated in the studio. These film production sites have taken on a life of their own, attracting aspiring extras hoping to break into show business and fans hoping to see where their favorite scenes were shot. Mark will share images from his photobook "Once Upon a Time in Shanghai" (Daylight Books) and discuss the hidden world behind the scenes of China's film industry.

MORE ABOUT THE SPEAKER: Mark Parascandola is a documentary fine-art photographer based in Washington DC. His work explores how photography, and the movies, shape our perceptions of history and create ambiguity between reality and make-believe. His latest photo book, "Once Upon A Time In Shanghai" was awarded First Place in the Documentary Book Project category in the 2019 International Photography Awards and related work was selected for the "Best of Show" exhibition at the Lucie Awards in New York City October 2019.

MORE ABOUT THE MODERATOR: Laura Baldis holds a degree in Chinese Studies from the Free University of Berlin and Zhejiang University. Her interest in Chinese films over the past five years has led her to engage with mainland and overseas Chinese indie filmmakers.

HOW MUCH: RMB 200 for members of RASBJ and of partner RAS branches; RMB 300 for non-members. Nibbles and one welcome drink are included. You may find payment by Alipay easier than by Wechat. You can also pay by credit card. Interested in becoming an RASBJ member? Please sign up at https://rasbj.org/membership/​

HOW TO JOIN THE EVENT: No later than noon on October 28, please click "Register" or "I will attend" and follow the instructions. After successful registration you will receive a confirmation email. If you seem not to have received it, please check your spam folder. Registrations for those who have not paid by October 28 may be cancelled.

Members of partner RAS Branches: Please register 72 hours in advance of the deadline to allow time for membership verification.

REFUND POLICY: Attendees will be refunded in full if the event is cancelled or postponed by RASBJ.