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Apr. 25: Up the Yangtze Documentary Opens at IFC Center, New York, NY

"UP THE YANGTZE" Documentary Opens April 25 at NYC's IFC CENTER

*Official Selection 2008 Sundance Film Festival

In China, it is simply known as "The River." But the Yangtze -- and all of the life that surrounds it -- is undergoing a truly astonishing transformation wrought by the largest hydroelectric project in history, the Three Gorges Dam. Canadian documentary filmmaker Yung Chang returns to the gorgeous, now-disappearing landscape of his grandfather's youth to trace the surreal life of a "farewell cruise" that traverses the gargantuan waterway.

With Altmanesque narrative agility, a humanist gaze and wry wit, Chang's Upstairs Downstairs approach beautifully captures the microcosmic society of the luxury liner. Below deck: A bewildered young girl trains as a dishwasher—sent to work by her peasant family, who is on the verge of relocation from the encroaching floodwaters. Above deck: A phalanx of wealthy international tourists set sail to catch a last glance of a country in dramatic flux. The teenaged employees who serve and entertain them—now tagged with new Westernized names like "Cindy" and "Jerry" by upper management—warily grasp at the prospect of a more prosperous future.

Singularly moving and cinematically breathtaking, UP THE YANGTZE gives a human dimension to the wrenching changes facing not only an increasingly globalized China, but the world at large.

To watch the trailer: http://zeitgeistfilms.com/uptheyangtze

Starts	04/11/2008
Ends	05/31/2008
Issues	Economic Justice, Environment, Human Rights, International, Politics/Government, Economic Development, Housing and Homelessness, Labor, Poverty, Environmental Justice, Environmental Preservation, Asia
Homepage	www.zeitgeistfilms.com
Contact	pr@zeitgeistfilms.com