Latest news with #Encounter
The Star
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Star
‘Support of art should be collective mission for all Sarawakians'
(From left) Ling, Ngu, BEM Hosanna Church pastor Hii Mee Yieng and Tiang with one of the artworks at 'Encounter' in Sibu. Art fosters unity and understanding across Sarawak's multicultural society, says Datuk Michael Tiang. The Sarawak Deputy Minister for Public Health, Housing and Local Government emphasised that the state's cultural richness came from more than 30 ethnic groups who found common ground through artistic expression. 'Art, whether it is music, dance, drama, painting, literature or film, is a universal language. 'It transcends boundaries of nationality, politics, race, religion and background. 'In a world that often emphasises differences, art reminds us of our shared humanity,' he said at the opening of an art exhibition themed 'Encounter' at Borneo Evangelical Mission (BEM) Hosanna Church in Sibu. Tiang also described art as a medium that told stories of identity, heritage and hope for the future, saying, 'Art is the bridge that connects us. 'It allows us to experience life from one another's perspective. 'It provides a safe space for dialogue, expression and healing.' He also spoke of the importance of arts education, particularly for youth, calling it a necessity rather than a luxury. 'Art inspires confidence, creativity and connection. 'In this age of globalisation where identities are becoming fragile, art helps young people solidify their identity while learning to respect others,' he added. Tiang, who is Pelawan assemblyman, said Sarawak government remained committed to supporting the cultural and creative sectors. He cited major initiatives such as the Borneo Cultural Museum – the largest in Malaysia and second-largest in South-East Asia – and the upcoming Sarawak Performing Arts Centre slated for completion in 2027. However, he stressed that the responsibility of promoting the arts should not fall solely on the government. 'It is our collective mission to support and celebrate the arts.' On the exhibition being held at BEM church, Tiang said: 'What excites me is seeing artists come together to express a spiritual journey that touches on faith and the revelation of God. 'I hope this exhibition spreads positive energy and inspires people to stand up for social justice and be law-abiding citizens,' he said. The seven-day exhibition was curated by Clara Ling Boon Ing and Ngu Mei Cui. Ling, from Sitiawan, Perak, is an artist and lecturer with a Master of Arts and PhD in Art-Based Studies. Her work blends visual art, literature and cultural studies to explore themes such as identity, memory and spirituality, through exhibitions, installations and performances. Ngu is a part-time artist and art teacher from Sarawak. She majored in English Linguistics and completed her Master of Fine Arts in Penang. She has participated in art exhibitions at Loft 29 and Hin Bus Depot in Penang. She is also actively involved in church ministry, transforming religious teachings into visual art which, in turn, becomes a medium of faith and service.
The Mainichi
11-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Mainichi
Renowned pianist Martha Argerich says dialogue vital for world peace
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Famed Argentina-born pianist Martha Argerich says engaging in dialogue to share cultural differences plays a major role in building peace, as she experienced firsthand during her first performance with a Japanese Noh actor. Cultural exchange "is very important, and it's the source of peace in the world...I think that dialogue is the most important factor in this type of thing," Argerich said at a recent press conference at the Japan National Press Club in Tokyo. Bunzo Otsuki, a government-designated living national treasure, performed Noh to Argerich's rendition of Bach's Partita No.2 at a Noh theater in 2022 and their performance is featured in a new documentary film titled "Encounter." "I was very surprised. I was able to act to the sound of Argerich's playing with ease," Otsuki said at the press conference held to announce the completion of the documentary. Argerich said it "was a wonderful dialogue" to share their cultures and forms of expression through their performance of Bach's music and Noh on stage, as well as through backstage lectures from Otsuki about Noh masks. "I was always very fascinated by Noh theater. This time, I felt really honored and grateful to share the stage with Maestro Otsuki," Argerich said, adding that Bach's music goes with anything because it contains the essence of human spirit and ways of expression. Since she won first prize at the prestigious International Frederic Chopin Piano Competition in 1965, which established her reputation, Argerich has been one of the world's most prominent pianists, receiving the Legion of Honor, France's most prestigious award at the rank of commander in 2023, according to the Argerich Arts Foundation. Argerich recently visited Japan to play for a music festival named after her, Music Festival Argerich's Meeting Point in Beppu, which marked its 25th anniversary this year. She serves as general director of the festival in Oita Prefecture, southwestern Japan.
Boston Globe
11-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Boston Globe
‘Echo Valley' has a few too many ideas for one movie
The dynamic between Kate and Claire is clear even before Claire's arrival, when Kate has a heated argument with her wealthy lawyer ex-husband, Richard ( Most of that trouble falls on Claire's relationship with her volatile boyfriend Ryan Sinclair (Edmund Donovan), and in turn on Ryan's dealings with Jackie. Gleeson is a chilling presence from the moment Jackie arrives, calmly demanding the money that Ryan owes him, and not caring whom he has to threaten or harm in order to get it. Claire and Ryan skip town for a few days to avoid Jackie's wrath, but Claire returns home late one night, with blood on her clothes and a dead body that she says is Ryan's in the back of her car. Advertisement Kate immediately springs into murder-coverup mode, going through the motions that have been depicted in countless thrillers, from cleaning the car to burning Claire's clothes to weighing the body down with cinderblocks and dumping it in a nearby lake. 'I took care of it. All of it,' Kate tells Claire, in the kind of ominously obvious foreshadowing that indicates to the audience that Kate did not actually take care of anything. So of course, Jackie comes back demanding money, but the bigger surprise is what happens with Claire and what Kate does about it. Claire is such a deliberately grating character that it's a relief when Sweeney essentially disappears for the second half of the movie, and an even bigger relief when Kate finally seems to realize how toxic and cruel her daughter really is. Faced with an unstable criminal making demands she can't meet, Kate turns to her resourceful best friend Leslie ( Advertisement With its muted color palette, measured pacing, and droning score, 'Echo Valley' sometimes comes off as a plodding drama about grief — not for the snotty, ungrateful Claire, but for the kind and patient Patty, who appears briefly in flashbacks, and in the requisite wedding video and old voicemails that Kate obsessively revisits. Director Michael Pearce explored similarly fraught familial relationships in his belabored 2021 drama 'Encounter,' and for a while 'Echo Valley' appears to be taking the same approach, turning potentially pulpy genre material into dour moralizing. Then the story takes a turn, and while those heavy themes don't disappear, Pearce treats them with more energy and occasional playfulness. Kate and Leslie get drunk and dance around to silly pop songs and reminisce about their respective coming-out stories. Leslie is supportive and pragmatic, and she helps Kate channel her inner latter-day Liam Neeson when it comes to dealing with Jackie. Ingelsby is best known as the creator of ' Domhnall Gleeson. Apple TV+ Moore remains an indomitable presence throughout Kate's emotional journey, but Gleeson (just a few weeks after playing a sleazy antagonist in another Apple TV+ original movie, 'Fountain of Youth') gives the most entertaining performance, playing up Jackie's gleeful sociopathy in a way that makes it easy to root for his downfall. Despite Sweeney's efforts, Claire's downfall is easy to root for, too, and Ingelsby and Pearce don't give her a smooth road to redemption. 'Echo Valley' travels a rough road as well, but it finds its footing when the time comes. Advertisement ECHO VALLEY Starring: Julianne Moore, Sydney Sweeney, Domhnall Gleeson, Kyle MacLachlan, Fiona Shaw. On Apple TV+
Yahoo
05-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Julianne Moore Questions If Her Daughter Sydney Sweeney Is a Murderer in ‘Echo Valley' Trailer
Could Sydney Sweeney be a murderer, and if so, would her mother Julianne Moore even care? Such are the questions at the center of the highly-anticipated Apple Original Film 'Echo Valley,' directed by 'Beast' and 'Encounter' filmmaker Michael Pearce and written by 'Mare of Easttown' scribe Brad Inglesby. Sweeney stars as Claire, the troubled daughter of Kate (Moore), who shows up on her doorstep covered in someone else's blood. 'As Kate pieces together the shocking truth of what happened, she learns just how far a mother will go to try to save her child in this gripping tale of love, sacrifice and survival,' the logline reads. The film is set on the secluded Echo Valley Farm in Pennsylvania, with the tagline teasing that the feature is a 'heart-pounding thriller about just how far a mother will go to save her child.' More from IndieWire Mikey Madison Has Found Her First Role After 'Anora' Oscar Win with 'Reptilia' Everyone Hated Todd Solondz's Debut Feature - Including Solondz Himself - but It Deserves Another Look Kyle MacLachlan, Edmund Donovan, Domnhall Gleeson, and Fiona Shaw co-star. 'Echo Valley' is produced by Ridley Scott's Scott Free Films and The Walsh Company, with Michael Pruss, Ingelsby, and Kevin Walsh for The Walsh Company under his multi-year Apple TV+ producing deal. Pruss and Ingelsby developed the script together. The film will be executive produced by Scott Greenberg, Scott Free's Rebecca Feuer, and Nicole Jordan-Webber. Erika Olde and Sam Roseme will also executive produce through Black Bicycle Entertainment. Tanja Tawadjoh will co-produce. Sweeney told Vanity Fair that she watched hundreds of YouTube videos of addicts interviewed on Los Angeles' Skid Row to prepare to play Claire. She also drew from personal encounters with addicts as well. 'I've had a lot of family members deal with addiction and then struggle with similar issues as Claire and her friends, and her group that she hangs out with,' Sweeney said. 'I've kind of had firsthand experience with it. I mean, there's a manipulation underneath a lot of it. But when there was love in the air in the room, you truly still felt it. The person that they are at the core, as buried as they might be, is still there.' Director Pearce credited Sweeney for going all out for the role, saying, 'It's kind of spooky how quickly she can get to a very raw emotional place when you call 'action,' and she's just straight away exactly where the character needs to be. Which is often a very place of extreme emotional duress. Then you'd call cut and maybe change your lens, and she's very light. You'd call 'action' again, and she's straight there in a matter of seconds.' Pearce continued, 'The way that she was screaming at Julianne, I thought she was going to burst her eardrum. It was so intense. But as soon as we called 'cut,' they were just laughing. They were just so happy to get their teeth stuck into such a meaty scene.' And co-lead Moore hinted at just how twisted the film is: 'These are my favorite kinds of movies: movies about relationships,' Moore said. 'What will people do for one another? What kind of decisions do you make? How far will you go? I'm kind of curious what the reaction will be,' she says. 'There will be a sense, certainly, among parents going, like, 'well, would I do that? How far would I go?' You're left with those questions.' 'Echo Valley' premieres June 13 on Apple TV+. Check out the trailer below. Best of IndieWire Guillermo del Toro's Favorite Movies: 56 Films the Director Wants You to See 'Song of the South': 14 Things to Know About Disney's Most Controversial Movie The 55 Best LGBTQ Movies and TV Shows Streaming on Netflix Right Now
Borneo Post
30-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Borneo Post
Tiang: Let art be the bridge that unites Sarawakians
Tiang (third right) with (from left) Ling, Ngu, Pastor Hii Mee Yieng and local community leaders in a photo-call featuring one of the artworks. SIBU (May 30): State Deputy Minister of Public Health, Housing and Local Government Datuk Michael Tiang has called upon fellow Sarawakians to embrace the unifying power of art as a bridge between diverse communities and a catalyst for positive societal change. Speaking at the launch of the 'Encounter' art exhibition, co-organised by the Borneo Evangelical Mission (BEM) and Hosanna Christian Church, he praised local artists Clara Ling and Ngu Nei Cui for their joint curation, describing it 'a meaningful expression of a cultural and spiritual journey'. 'Art – whether it is music, dance, theatre, painting, literature, or film – is a universal language. 'It crosses borders, transcends politics, and goes beyond race, religion, and background. 'In a world that often emphasises differences, art reminds us of our shared humanity. It plays an incredibly important role in promoting cultural understanding and community unity,' said the Pelawan assemblyman. Adding on, Tiang noted that in Sarawak, where more than 30 ethnic groups coexisted with their own unique languages, customs and heritage, art could serve as a powerful force to bind people together. 'Art tells stories of who we are, where we come from, and where we hope to go. It allows us to experience life through the perspectives of others, and provides a safe space for dialogue and expression.' Tiang emphasised the government's ongoing support for the creative sector, citing major projects such as the Borneo Cultures Museum – completed in 2022 and is Malaysia's largest museum and the second-largest in Southeast Asia – and the upcoming Sarawak Performing Arts Centre, expected for completion by 2027. However, he stressed that promoting art was not solely the government's responsibility, saying: 'It is a shared mission for everyone living in this beautiful and diverse land.' Tiang expressed hope that art exhibitions like 'Encounter' would inspire people to 'live with integrity and compassion, moved by divine revelation and the pursuit of justice'. 'Let this be the beginning of something impactful, that through art inspired by faith, we cultivate good citizens who uphold righteousness and live to glorify God,' he said. ART Michael Tiang Sibu unity
