From the tenacious roars of 60s art subcultures in Tokyo, Japan to the spine-chilling, prayer-like whispers of contemporary Southeast Asian cinema, queer lives have always been found at the center of artistic reflections of cultures and histories. With this edition Asian Movie Night is exploring how to engage with our (queer) pasts and what we see in the (queer) stories told by those that came before us.
Who has been made present and who has been left wanting by the sidelines?
What happens at the intersections of queerness with national identity, culture, community and state?
Sanguine Specters Stick to the Skin is a reflection on past and contemporary cinematic depictions of queer lives and histories and the cultural heritages that we carry with us.
In this edition’s part 1 is presented in partnership with
Queer East , where we will be screening the feature film Bye Bye Love (1974) at LAB111 Amsterdam 31/07.
Join us for a very special film accompanied by a panel talk with speakers Yi Wang, Andy Zhu and Maoyi, as well as an after drawing workshop with drinks!
Drawing workshop Scene & Seen
‘Scene & Seen : A’ is a hands-on workshop that explores the concept of Asianness through the lens of Asian cinema, using film as a catalyst to examine and reinterpret cultural identity. Participants will engage with iconic scenes, objects, and moments from film to create experimental visual responses—doodles, sketches, and compositions—that reflect their impressions and lived experiences. As part of the Asian Movie Night Seasonal Festival, this session invites participants to reimagine the boundaries of Asianness through color, texture, and form, transforming fleeting cinematic images into personal visual definitions of culture.
PROGRAM of LAB111 Amsterdam
Thursday 31.07.2025
19:00 - 19:05 Intro (5’)
19:05 - 20:25 Screening of Bye Bye Love (85’)
20:25 - 21:00 Panel Talk
21:15 - 22:00 Drawing workshop & drinks at the bar
22:00 end
TICKETS
€ 13, - / Cineville card free
LAB111
ABOUT
Curator
Kleopatra Vorria is an artist that deals in stories. Her favorite movie last month was Flow (2024)
Supported by
Arnhem Gemeente, Het Cultuurfonds and Asian Pride
Bye Bye Love
Isao Fujisawa | 1974 | Japan | 85’
Japanese w/ English subs
![]()
This is the only full-length feature film made at his own expense by Isao Fujisawa, who was an assistant director at Toei at the time and had worked as an assistant director on Hiroshi Teshigahara's ``Woman in the Dune'' and ``The Face of Others.'' Influenced by pop art, American new cinema, and J.L. Godard, this is a unique love story about a stylish couple's escapade and the conflict between love and body due to sexuality and gender. A bizarre world created by the dazzling primary colors and psychedelic images of the 1970s. Utamaro and Giko wander in search of freedom and liberation. Where will they end up?
With a theme that was ahead of its time, this is a masterpiece of independent film that declared the birth of a new Japanese cinema and can be called a premature new queer cinema. The film was long considered lost, but in 2018 the original negative was discovered in a warehouse and a new print was made.
Isao Fujisawa -
Isao Fujisawa was born December 17, 1941 in Kamaishi City, Iwate Prefecture. While a university student, he worked as an assistant director on Hiroshi Teshigawara's “Woman in the Dunes” (1964) and “The Face of Other” (1966), before going on to work under Toei in Yakuza films directed by Yasuo Furuhata. In 1972, he left the Toei label to write and direct “Bye Bye Love'”, his only feature film to date, after which he has worked as a television documentary director to varying success.
