Wasted Orient

DVD Cover

Wasted Orient

Wasted Orient, the official rock n' roll film of Joyside

General Information

Dear Friends:

The distributor PLEXIFILM has officially announced the WORLD PREMIERE on DVD of the greatest film in Modern Chinese history. See Plexifilm's website at www.plexifilm.com

Please be part of the most anticipated film release about Chinese Rock N' Roll of all time. That's saying a bunch folks.

Pass on the word to everyone you know: your therapist, your pastor, your sons and daughters, your co-workers, your livestock, and most definitely your beer supplier. They don't know it yet, but they will want to know.

WASTED ORIENT, coming at you like a Jake La Motta uppercut this summer.

For more information and possible screenings near you see the websites listed below.

www.wastedorient.com www.plexifilm.com

Credits

Film Summary

A film about Rock n' Rollers in Beijing, China who care very little about what is going on in the world. They thrive on chaos. They bathe very little. They don't care that they live in an oppressive society.

They have come to the realization that due to the world that they live in -- which is unfortunately confined to their country's borders -- that Rock n' Roll in China is a nightmare. Through this you will see it unfold. The 30+ hour train trips, the binge drinking, the interviews inside a toilet, the vomiting, and ingestion of foods America would find repulsive all add up to bring forth the theme of this film: The band Joyside doesn't see any hope or potential in China's Rock n' Roll scene.

The reason for their apathy is that they feel they can do nothing to correct their situation. The only bands that ever make it "big" are those that are officially sanctioned by the Central Government. The only way for the young in China to revolt is to be lazy and wasted. Hence the title, "Wasted Orient" -- they are wasting their talent, wasting their life, and they are constantly intoxicated. Still, they play their Rock n' Roll.

It is funny at times watching these four young men perform their antics both on and off stage. It is depressing to see how much they drink and that they live in the dog and cat market. In the end, the audience wants to invite them over for a barbeque in the backyard and have them play some tunes.

"Wasted Orient" is a documentary with no hidden meanings. It is clear, concise, and something that no one else will ever see in the near future coming out of China.

Selected Festival Screenings

• Asian Film Society, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A. (March 2006)
• Chameleon Club Tuesday Night Film Series, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, U.S.A. (April 2006)
• 8th Annual ArtsFest Film Festival, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, U.S.A. (May 2006)
• The Planet Ant Film & Video Festival, Detroit, Michigan, U.S.A. (June 2006)
• 2nd Annual Summer Film Series, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.A. (June 2006)
• China Premiere at Cherry Lane Movie Theater, ChaoYang, Beijing, China (July 2006)
• Selected Screening at D-22, WuDaoKou, Beijing, China (July 2006)
• Sound Unseen, Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.A. (August 2006)
• YuYinTang Warehouse, Shanghai, China (September 2006)
• University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.A (November 2007)
• Big Sky Documentary Film Festival, Missoula, Montana, U.S.A. (February 2007)
• Intolerance Film Series Juniata College, Juniata, Pennsylvania, U.S.A (April 2007)
• Alamo Draft House Theatre, Austin Texas, U.S.A (May 2007)
• New Haven Underground Film Festival, New Haven, Connecticut, U.S.A (May 2007)
• Ashdod Film Festival, Tel Aviv, Israel (May 2007)
• North By Northeast (NXNE) Film Festival , Toronto,Canada [Canadian Premiere](June 2007)
• Ismailia Film Series, Cairo, Egypt (September 2007)
• Marbella International Film Festival, Marabella, Spain (October 2007)
• Indie 2007 Mostra De Cinema Mundial, Zeta Films, Rio De Janeiro, Brazil (October 2007)
• Copenhagen International Documentary Film Festival, Copenhagen, Denmark (November 2007)
• Festival de Cine Independiente de Mar del Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina, (November 2007)
• Year-long exhibition at Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art, "Eastern Standard "Western Artists in China" (starts February 2008)
• University of Nottingham, Ningbo, China (March 2008)
• Urban Nomad Traveling Film Festival, Taipei, Taiwan (April 2008)
• Don't Knock The Rock Film Festival, Los Angeles, California, USA (July 2008)
• Music on Film Film on Music Festival, (MOFFOM), Prague, Czech Republic (October 2008)

Reviews

• (c) Lucie Zhang on Musicfilmweb

After 92 minutes of binge drinking, vomiting, train-ride interviews, concert clips and confessions from the toilet, it finally hits you what Chinese punk band Joyside’s seemingly aimless existence is trying to communicate: Rock 'n' roll is dead in China. [...] - more

• (c) Ox-Fanzine, Joachim Hiller, Issue #76 (February/March 2008)

Entstanden ist ein ungeschminkter Punkrock-Film, der die Band in ihrem Pekinger Alltag und auf Tour durch das Riesenland zeigt (per Zug, nicht mit dem Auto) und nach dessen Betrachten man weiß: Auch in China muss ein echter Punkrocker immer eine Flasche Bier oder Schnaps in der Hand halten, sowie: Punk ist überall gleich. [..] - more

Further Information

• Official Homepage