Boston University Screening Recap

Following our screening at Goucher College, we traveled the next morning to Boston. My friend, Joe, whom I’ve known since our days together in the Reuters Digital Vision Fellowship Program, is hosting us for the next several days. It’s hard to believe that it’s been nearly six years since we last saw each other in-person; there’s been so much that we’ve been catching up with! I’ve said it before on this blog (and I’ll repeat it again) that one of the hidden rewards of touring has been the opportunity to spend time with our friends and family.

On Wednesday, we held a screening at Boston University. We set up shop in the College of Arts and Sciences Building, Room B-12 on 725 Commonwealth Avenue. As I was connecting the computer to the projector, I pleasantly noticed that it was capable of outputting a 720P signal. This made for the best presentation of the film we’ve had to date on this tour — the colors were pretty spot on and the detail from the film was readily apparent.

The event was sponsored by the Center for the Study of Asia. Professors Shelley Hawks, Eugenio Menegon and Susan Lee were present with their students to watch the film; they posed a number of great questions that we hadn’t field before in our past screening. Professor Menegon was especially pleased with the layered portrayal of Qiu Jin and the women’s movement in the film. His class has been studying the role of women in the Republican era of China, and we hope Autumn Gem gave them some good context with which to write their papers! Professor Lee noted that the commemorative statues of Qiu Jin in Shaoxing and Hangzhou were very different from how Qiu Jin portrayed herself in photographs and in the film. In the statues, she’s dressed in women’s clothing and sports a somewhat relaxed post. This contrasts with those remaining photos of Qiu Jin, which depict her in men’s clothing or holding daggers!

We’re off for the next few days before our screening at the Greater Boston Chinese Cultural Association on Sunday. Then, it’s a whirlwind finish to our Spring 2010 tour, with six screenings in five days!

WP-SmugMug Plugin: http://tow.com/projects/wordpress/*[[](/batch.download.php?aid=7038321)Rae stands outside the entrance to the CAS building where we screened Autumn Gem at Boston University.](http://photos.tow.com/825806782uo4NJ-L.jpg) *Adam talks to an empty room… for now. *Laptop and monitor. *CAS B-12 had an HD projector, making for a lovely screening of Autumn Gem. *Rae talks with Professor Hawks prior to the screening. *Professor Shelly Hawks introduces Autumn Gem to the assembled students and faculty at Boston University. *Listening to Rae’s presentation before the screening. *Rae answers questions from the faculty and students following the screening. *Crowd shots. *Students in Professor Menegon’s class take notes about the role of women during the tail end of the Qing Dynasty. *Professor Menegon asks a question. *With Professors Menegon, Hawks and Lee from Boston University.