REEL CHlNA 2004

New Chinese Documentary Festival

OLD YANG SEEKING WIFE 2003

Shanghai is among one of the first cities in China to enter the demographic state of an aging population. By the end of 2001, the number of senior citizens in Shanghai had exceeded 2.466 million, amounting to 18.58 % of the total population, of which 980,000 were single. Statistics showed that over 20 % of the senior singles had the will to seek a companion. According to one Chinese saying, young couples should accompany each other to old age. Unfortunately not everyone shares this luck. When people are aging, loneliness becomes the biggest issue. The story follows a group of senior citizens in Shanghai. The protagonist of the story, Old Yang, is an ordinary single old man. He is an open-minded, funny man with a great sense of humor. But he suffers from an extreme sense of loneliness. This documentary film tells Old Yang’s story in seeking a wife and it depicts the reality of getting old in urban China. Yang wants someone who he can spend the rest of his life with and share his joy and sorrow. The story provides us insights of those senior citizens’ lives in China and their attitudes towards wedlock at old age. The film is hoping for greater social care of their psychological and physiological needs, as well as quality of their lives.

Dir: Jiang Ning 76 min 2003 English Subtitle

DANCE WITH FARM WORKERS 2001

The film is about an unconventional performance under the same name. The project involved not only actors and dancers, but also 30 Beijing farm workers from poor regions of Sichuan Province. Both the rehearsal and the performance took place in a production hall of a former textile factory that could soon be torn down as part of Beijing’s rapid modernization, like thousands of such production halls. Those strong farm laborers, who came to the city after losing their hopes in their hometowns, are the supporting pillars of the modernization. The performance was initiated and organized by choreographer Wen Hui, artists Song Dong and Yin Xiuzhen, and Wu Wenguang. They invited 10 professional dancers and actors, also 30 farm laborers working on the building sites in Beijing whose only wishes were to get paid 30 Yuan a day. It was only later that they discover that the lowest of “the lower class” would be standing at the center stage and making a statement.

Director: Wu Wenguang, Camera: Su Ming, 57 min, 2001, English Subtitles

OUT OF PHOENIX BRIDGE 1997

Four girls from countryside live in a tiny crammed room in Beijing. Long hours of hard work and miserable living condition turned out to be their happiest years of their lives when they enjoy the most freedom. The prize-winning film follows the rising and falling of hopes and dreams as they reluctantly return to the closed world of their hometowns and future husbands.

Director: Li Hong Length: 90min 1997 English Subtitle

Ogawa Shinsuke Prize, Award of Yamagata International Documentary

Film Festival, 1997, Japan

THE HAPPY LIFE 2002

Zhengzhou Train Station is China’s largest rail hub. Massive migration population bustle and flow in the station where no order can be permanently maintained. Two characters of the story: Mr. Fu Jiansheng and Mr. Liu Yongli, both work in the station. Since his wife’s death, Fu Jiansheng lives in the past, all his hopes turns to memories. While Liu Yongli is not an idealistic man, nor a man driven by his dreams, he only waits and hopes to lead a modern life. This story recaptures the scenes of their daily concern and their desire. We, as audience, will have deeper understanding of their spiritual and material lives today and their unrealistic confrontation with reality.

Director: Jiang Yue Length: 90 min 2002 English Subtitle

THE SECRET OF MY SUCCESS 2002

Mr. Lu Guohua is the managing officer for Family Planning and Birth Control Office in Fansheng village whose major responsibility is to reinforce “one-child-policy”. This position is not easy and it often attracts hateful acts from the villagers. Many of his co-workers have suffered from personal attacks. Highly respected, he is in the position for fourteen years. Lu has never run into any troubles other than occasional fist fights. In 2001 Lu gets into trouble as a family member in his ward gives birth to a third child, thus violating the strict rules he stands for. Following the incident, his pviously excellent relation with the head of the village, Li Zhongqin, rapidly runs sour. That year happens to be election year in Fansheng village. A couple of tricks from Lu’s part soon put an end to Li’s reelection hope for the fourth term in office.

Director: Duan Jingchuan Length: 73min 2002 English Subtitle

EQUILIBRIUM 2000

The beautiful and rigid Kekexili region on Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is a main habitat of Chiru, a rare and first-grade animal under state protection. The region is a well-known wild life protection zone in China. In 1980’s, groups of poachers, driven by greediness, swarmed into Kekexili and killed Tibetan Chirus. Ten years later, the number of Chirus decreased by two thirds. Su Nan Da Jie, the head of the party Committee of the county, who was in charge of environmental protection in the area, was killed by 18 poachers in an effort to arrest poachers. To succeed his undertakings, Zha Ba Buo Jie, Su Nan Da Jie’s brother-in-law and who is also a good hunter, resolutely resigned from his position in the pfecture People’s Congress and organized a “Western Wild Yak Team” for wild animal protection. However, when various communities were extending their helping hands to “Western Wild Yak Team” and when Zha Ba Du Jie was set to begin his big undertaking, he suddenly disappeared in the vast wildness along with the back-view of a flying eager…

Director: Peng Hui 150min 2000 English Subtitles

DIRECTOR OF FACTORY 2000

A fairly well-know state-owned factory in Shanghai already runs into huge

debts when new director Mr. Zhang Liming takes over the position. The factory’s big loss leaves nothing valuable in the factory. It can’t afford payrolls for long time for most workers. Mr. Zhang Liming is determined to change. He reorganizes the members of the factory; starts the machines again; negotiates with creditors and finds new ways to boost sales. But his turn-around efforts are all in vain. The story ends when the site of the factory is in a fire smoke.

Director: Li Xiao Length: 36min 2000 English Subtitle

TOWN MIGRATION 1999
Datong is a 2000-year old ancient town. The municipal government intends to reconstruct the town, the locals on Herui Old Street have to move and their houses will be torn down. There are enough reasons to oppose moving. Most of them don't have enough money to build new house. Most important, they cherish the past of Herui Old Street. For local officials, migration and reconstruction is an irreversible stipulation. The film depicts the seesaw battle between the government and the town locals. It is a remarkable record of how common people strive for their own rights in an ancient town. 

Director: Gou Xizhi Length: 94min 1999 English Subtitle

WELLSPRING 2002

A peasant couple gave birth to a baby boy. But at very young age, baby’s brain disease changed his and his family life forever. Life is already very harsh, now they have to shoulder this burden alone. They never lose hope and never give up finding a doctor for him. When the boy becomes very ill, they make impossible efforts to cure him or to ease his pain. Later when the boy’s life is in danger, the parents are determined to fight against all odds together with the child, and their boundless love maintains his life throughout.

Director: Sa Qing 49min 2002 English Subtitles

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HOUJIE TOWNSHIP 2002

The story takes place in a small town called Houjie near Guangzhou. It has transformed from a rural village to an industrialized and commercialized town. It all follows the massive ventures of Taiwan and Hong Kong in the 1980’s. The story relates the pcarious position of those migrant workers who build Houjie to the forever risk of being laid off and being the first victims of post September 11 economic slowdown in globalization.

Director: Zhou Hao, Ji Jianghong 112min 2002 English Subtitle

A STUDENT’S VILLAGE 2002

In a remote mountainous area of northwestern Yunnan lies a small ‘Student

Village’ built by local people to allow their children to attend school.

Students live near the school, studying cooking and looking after themselves, thus not having to travel impossible distances from isolated locations every day. This piece shows the determination and energy of the locals in assuring a good education and future for their younger generation.

Director: Wei Xin 100min 2002 English Subtitle

DV CHINA 2002

Since the early 90s, the villagers in Jindezheng, led by Zhou Yuanqiang, creative director of the local cultural center, have learned all the techniques of film production: script writing, casting, shooting, montage and even special effects. With great enthusiasm they have already produced 18 serials although they lack equipments and are short of budget. The energetic director Zhou Yuanqiang initiates a new challenge for his enthusiastic and amateur actors: their first Kung-fu serial. This documentary follows the production of this new serial and their difficulties of fund raising, resolving the technical problems and interpersonal relations among themselves.

Director: Zheng Dasheng Length: 92min 2002 English Subtitle

SAN YUAN LI 2003

This is a case study of a typical village-amid-the-city phenomenon in the process of the urbanization of Guangzhou psented by Ou Ning and Cao

O Fei under the commission of the 50^th Venice Biennale. This work samples San Yuan Li Village. The crew penetrates San Yuan Li Village as “City Flaneur”, rethinking back into the depth of its history, the confrontation and reconciliation between the process of modernization, and the patriarchal clan system as well as the rural community system in Guangdong. The bizarre architectures and views of humanity have been captured, all encapsulated into this black-and-white cine-poem.

Director: Ou Ning &Cao Fei 44min (B&W) 2003 English subtitle

MARRIAGE 1999

In a village in the Qinling mountains, marriage is still a matter carried out in

a very traditional manner, following the so-called six procedures. Two couples go through the marriage process from the first proposal to the actual wedding over a period of nearly a year. The matchmaker also stands out as an indispensable character throughout the nuptial process.

Director: Liang Bibo Length: 80min 1999 English Subtitle

THE SUN IN WINTER 2002

At the end of 20th century, the political system as adopted in the rural area of China finally embarks onto the track featuering Village's Democratic autonmy in modern sense,after having undergone countryside gentleman administration system,Bao Jia system,local autonomy system,people's commune system and household contract responsibility system respectively for serveral millennia.

  It was a winter of Tiger's year, the revised Villager's Committee Organization Law had been issued. Three thousand villagees of DongPuo village volunteerly elected villager repsentatives to elect the candidatea of the villager committee .

This film ,taking a village in the western China as a single case, adopting the deep-drawing method of visual sociology and speeding three years observing and recording ,wants to reflect the unique democratic autonomy couse that several hundred millions Chinese famers came through in the given environomrnts of politics, economy and culture.

Dir: Zhao Gang Length: 76min 2002 English subtitle

GRANDPA JING AND HIS OLD CLIENTS 2003

Grandpa Jing is about to celebrate his 87^th birthday. He is the most constant man. For so many years, he has been living in the Shishahai District, the heart of the old Beijing where he has been a barber for 70 years. He had already owned a small barber shop in a commercial street of Di’anmen before 1949. Today, in spite of his senility, he still continues to cut hair and shave beards. But instead of working his scissors in the barber shop, he offers in house service for his clients.

Director: Shi Runjiu Length: 55min 2003 English Subtitle

WHO’S LISTENING TO MY SONG 2003

The rock-and-roll band “Stone” comes from Xinjiang, the distance province in western China. They came to Beijing in 1997 to try their luck and have established themselves as one of the most vigorous and creative bands in China. But truth can hurt. They live a hard life by performing in Beijing’s underground bars. However, they are independent mentally, no matter how hard it would turn out to be.

Dir.Mao Jie 25min 2003 English Subtitles

THE EMPTY CAGE 2002

The story is about two ordinary days in Shenzhen, one day in which a peculiar little girl was wandering in the city and the other in which I was trying to find her.The story is about two ordinary days in Shenzhen, one day in which a peculiar little girl was wandering in the city and the other in which I was trying to find her.

Dir. Jiang Zhi 25min 2002 English Subtitles

LEAVE ME ALONE 2001

This is a story about 3 young prostitutes in a southern city. Ye and her sister Yang work in a karaoke night club.　Their friend Massagal is a massage girl in a barber shop which is frequented by male customers but few of them are for haircut. Today　girls like them are particularly despised and mercilessly abandoned by society, even sometimes by their customers. They are regarded as a kind of commodity that can be bought with just some money. Nobody really care about their futures.

Dir.Hu Shu 70min 2001 English Subtitles

MEI LANFANG 1930 2001

He is one of the greatest actor in China, who became a musician whten he was only the years old and played a female character in Beijing opera successrully in the age of twelve. He owned 400 repertories and created a sect of art or even a tradition. This is how an American drama critic described Dr. Mei Lanfang. Indeed, Dr. Mei Lanfang is a real great artist in the eyes of all the Chinese people.

Mei Lanfang 1930 depicted the performance tour in USA conducted by Dr. Mei Lanfang and his opera troupe,which was the first time for Peking opera to be put on stage in USA and what he was up against was a face-to-face cultural confrontation. From Mei Lanfang 1930, we will see the cultural communication and blend between China and America.

Different from former traditional Chinese figure biography, Mei Lanfang 1930 described the history from a more natural angle and paid close attention to people destiny under historical and social background. Combining all kinds of film and television technique, it portrayed Dr. Mei Lanfang character trait as a human being and an artist from the rarely-known historical facts and portrait material.

Dir. Zhou Bing 35min 2001 English Subtitles

ABING IN 1950 2001

Abing (1893- 1950), a blind Chinese folk musician, is now famous all over the world. Three months before his death in 1950, he had fortunately 6 pieces of his music recorded with the steel wired recorder that was unusual that time. The music was played by Abing himself, and the recording was achieved with the help of his musician friends he made when he was young. Such simple and short recording later became a very important event in the musical history of China. The two springs mirror the moon, one of those recorded pieces, later became a classical music of the world. Created with the composer’s dozens of years of vagrant life, this work is regarded as the portraiture of Abing. Also this work is performed as a repertoire by Philadelphia Symphony Orchestra, Lyons Symphony Orchestra. When the great conductor Seiji Ozawa listened to this work performed by erhu, he even couldn’t help bursting into tears, and kneeling down on the ground.

Four persons concerned and three eyewitnesses narrated this only recording taken place during Abing’s life. In the documentary, reappearance is adopted as a creating means, which tells smoothly the hardly-known story happened fifty years ago .

Dir.: Qian Hengqing 35minutes, 2001 English Subtitles

WALK-ON ROLES 2002

There are a gang of urban young loafers. They proclaim themselves as movie walk-on roles, but always kill time before the gate of Beijing Film Studio. Then they go back to their rented shabby cabin on the outskirts, spending whole nights flirting naive girls with filthy jokes, playing cards or watching blue video. Li Wenbo, Bao Hehua and Wang Gang are inclined to dreaming of success of their movies and millions of dollars. But everytime when they give a thought about their next meal or their rent, they sink into the stark reality.

Dir. Zhu Chuanming 75min 2002 English Subtitles