THIS IS NOT A FOREIGN FILM

• A locked motel room • 18 hrs. • A hijacked image • 2 Asian men • A notorious film • 1 dead Italian • Utopia or ghetto? • A continuous dance •

THIS IS NOT A FOREIGN FILM is a performance and installation that continuously re-enacts the last scene in Pasolini’s film Salo. Based on The 120 Days of Sodom by the Marquis de Sade, Salo transposes the action of the book to Italy under a fascist regime, and is notorious for its explicit depiction of sexuality and violence. The film was banned when it was released in 1976, and continues to generate controversy whenever it is shown. In the last scene of the film, after all the torture, rape, and death; two young male prison guards slow dance with each as the end credits of the film starts to roll…

THIS IS NOT A FOREIGN FILM takes this dubious utopian image and loops it for eighteen hours using live performers. Inside a locked room at the Coral Sands Motel, itself a notorious underground gay sex club, two Asian men slow dance continuously, both shielded and isolated from the activities outside. A lightbox in the shape of old-fashioned theatre marquees provides the only illumination in the room. It also displays the title of the piece. Pink “while you were out” notes with hand-written text that make connections between the film, the site, and the installation are affixed to the door of the room. An empty note pad is provided for the viewers to write their own messages.

In THIS IS NOT A FOREIGN FILM, Ma explores the transformation of a filmic image into a performance by stretching out a fleeting moment in celluloid into a durational act with live performers. The sites of the Coral Sands Motel and Outfest are addressed through the introduction of Asian men into these contexts. Their presence brings up issues of tourism and display, as well as nationalism and racism within the lesbian and gay community. However, the fact that at least two of the Asian “men” are women in male drag, and the multi-ethnic, multi-racial cast of performers further complicate the politics of voyeurism in this piece.

Performers: Samuel C. Chuang, Jayvee Maithehiep, Viet Le, Pete Lee, Sebaztien Kieran Liuwang, Napoleon Lustre, Ming-Yuen S. Ma, Leslie Mah, Janet Pants

JULY 13-14 @ PLATINUM OASIS
A mega-multi-media, hyper-intellectual, 18-hour arts'n'culture celebration at the notorious Coral Sands Motel in Hollywood. This year's theme tributes the sick genius of late poet/author/filmmaker, Pier Paolo Pasolini. Curated by Ron Athey & Vaginal Davis.


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