Shades of Silk (Ombres de soie)
West Coast Premiere of the new 2K restoration
Saturday, April 11, 12:30 p.m. @ 2220 Arts & Archives
Q&A with SHADES OF SILK actor Alexandra Brouwer and DREAMS OF PASSION director Aarin Burch, moderated by Corina Copp
Sunday, April 12, 1:45 p.m. @ Now Instant Image Hall
Director: Mary Stephen
Canada/France, 1978, 62 min, DCP
Shades of silk (Ombres de soie) traces the relationship between two Chinese women in Shanghai in 1935.
Before she became known as the longtime editor and collaborator of Éric Rohmer, the Hong Kong-born filmmaker Mary Stephen wrote and directed her first feature, a hypnotic and sensuous ode to the cinema of Marguerite Duras. Set in Shanghai 1935—but shot entirely in 1970s Paris—the film depicts an intimate exchange between two young Chinese women (Stephen and Alexandra Brouwer), charged with longing and restraint, as they navigate the unnamed feelings between them. Shot on luminous 16mm, Stephen lingers on textures: silk, fur, porcelain, and skin, transporting us to a different time and place in spite of a limited budget. Newly restored, this richly atmospheric and dreamlike film is ripe to be rediscovered and swooned over by a new audience. -BR
In French and Mandarin with English Subtitles
Prior Screenings: 2025 New York Film Festival
Cast & Crew
Producer: John Cressey
Writer: Mary Stephen
Key Cast: Alexandria Brouwer
Director of Photography: John Cressey
Distributor: Several Futures
Preceded by: Dreams of Passion
World Premiere of the new 4K restoration
Director: Aarin Burch
USA, 1989/2026, 4 min, DCP
Dreams of Passion is a sensual exploration of the essence of self and of the intimacy of desire between two Black women as communicated through movement, dance, and imagination.
In her groundbreaking films, the Bay Area-based filmmaker Aarin Burch brilliantly explores the nuances of Black lesbian identity through movement and personal relationships. In this short—believed to depict the earliest same-sex kiss between Black women on screen—Burch films dancers Matima Hadi and Debra Floyd as they channel desire through reciprocal gazes and gestures. -MG
Cast & Crew
Producer: Aarin Burch
Editor: Aarin Burch
Key Cast: Matima Hadi, Debra Floyd
Camera: Lily Hotchkiss, Aarin Burch, Dave Wagstaff
Lighting: Alec Way
Music: Vicki Randle
Restoration Supervisor: Douglas McLaren
Restoration Consulting Producer: Nicoletta Vangelisti, Alexis Hithe
Restoration Executive Producer: Allyson Field
Distributor: Milestone Films