On this episode of Center Stage with Mark Gordon, filmmaker Christine La Monte discusses her new documentary Ai Weiwei’s Turandot, which follows artist and activist Ai Weiwei as he makes his operatic directorial debut at the Rome Opera House.
Known for his fearless art and political engagement, Ai Weiwei reimagines Puccini’s classic opera Turandot as a reflection of today’s world, where freedom, identity, and resistance collide. La Monte shares insights about working with Ai Weiwei, navigating the impact of the pandemic and the war in Ukraine, and creating a film that explores how art can challenge, provoke, and inspire.
🎧 Center Stage with Mark Gordon is produced in Los Angeles and features conversations with the filmmakers, artists, and storytellers shaping culture today.
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On this episode of Center Stage with Mark Gordon, filmmaker Christine La Monte discusses her new documentary Ai Weiwei’s Turandot, which follows artist and activist Ai Weiwei as he makes his operatic directorial debut at the Rome Opera House.
Known for his fearless art and political engagement, Ai Weiwei reimagines Puccini’s classic opera Turandot as a reflection of today’s world, where freedom, identity, and resistance collide. La Monte shares insights about working with Ai Weiwei, navigating the impact of the pandemic and the war in Ukraine, and creating a film that explores how art can challenge, provoke, and inspire.
🎧 Center Stage with Mark Gordon is produced in Los Angeles and features conversations with the filmmakers, artists, and storytellers shaping culture today.
"Aliens, Angst & Araki: Inside the World of Nowhere"
Center Stage
21 minutes 21 seconds
7 months ago
"Aliens, Angst & Araki: Inside the World of Nowhere"
In this episode of Center Stage, Mark Gordon sat down with provocative indie filmmaker Gregg Araki to talk about his cult classic Nowhere. Released in 1997 as the final chapter of his so-called “Teen Apocalypse Trilogy,” Nowhere is a bold, kaleidoscopic ride through the chaos of L.A. youth culture—complete with alien abductions, surreal encounters, and razor-sharp social commentary. In our conversation, Araki opens up about the film’s psychedelic aesthetic, its fearless exploration of identity and desire, and why Nowhere remains a strangely prophetic time capsule of pre-millennial angst.
Nowhere might be nearly three decades old, but its fearless energy and raw honesty still feel electrifying today. Gregg Araki’s vision—equal parts absurd, emotional, and unapologetically weird—captures a moment in time that speaks across generations.
Center Stage
On this episode of Center Stage with Mark Gordon, filmmaker Christine La Monte discusses her new documentary Ai Weiwei’s Turandot, which follows artist and activist Ai Weiwei as he makes his operatic directorial debut at the Rome Opera House.
Known for his fearless art and political engagement, Ai Weiwei reimagines Puccini’s classic opera Turandot as a reflection of today’s world, where freedom, identity, and resistance collide. La Monte shares insights about working with Ai Weiwei, navigating the impact of the pandemic and the war in Ukraine, and creating a film that explores how art can challenge, provoke, and inspire.
🎧 Center Stage with Mark Gordon is produced in Los Angeles and features conversations with the filmmakers, artists, and storytellers shaping culture today.