Five Films to Watch at the Vancouver Chinese Film Festival
Join the Vancouver Chinese Film Festival for their renowned film screening on August 9th!
Taking place next month, the Vancouver Chinese Film Festival has set to screen various films relating to Chinese culture. By merging Canadian and Chinese audiences the festival allows Chinese culture to be seen by audiences at home and abroad. Their mission is to create a more inclusive Canada by promoting cross-cultural exchange. Below we have outlined five of the short films that will be screened at the Vancouver Chinese Film Festival on August 9th.
1. Brick
Brick follows Wenxin, an architect who lives abroad. He returns to his hometown to bury his mother’s ashes. Upon arriving in his hometown, Wenxin finds himself at a classmate reunion. Here, he accepts the invitation of his classmate to act as a consultant for the renovation of the old district. It seems as if he has the ability to protect the nostalgic memories of the traditional district and the opportunity to enact his “dreams’ ‘ and “revenge.” Upon attempting to complete his dreams, he finds that he cannot achieve them. On the other hand, his revenge results in a new series of harm. Wenxin learns Yin and Yang, finding that life and death are a part of the natural law and the unity of men and nature is the true connotation of Feng Shui.
2. Ideal Homeland
The story takes place in the near future when AI (Artificial Intelligence) controls humans. In this future, the tables turn, and humans begin to work for AI. The hero of the story, Joe, is the carrier of AI’s sexual experience. He does the most mechanical task every day to obtain the credits on which we depend for survival in AI society. In such oppression of slavery, Joe desperately yearns for the freedom of independence.
3. A Zebra-Riding Boy
Based on the Impressionist-Southern author, Su Tong’s novels, Cavalryman and Paper, A Zebra-Riding Boy explores the combination of literature and commerce. Poor bow-legged teenager Zuo Lin has a dream to ride a horse in the most prosperous place of the city: the sad wooden horse cavalry, the happy zebra cavalry, the bleak and sad iron cavalry, and the brilliant paper cavalry all melt into one.
4. Churi
Churi is a short dramatic film about a young man who remembers his mother’s love through the act of making churi. The film weaves together the young man’s search for food and subsequent cooking with the memory of his mother cooking. The film artistically jumps between past and present. By doing so, it evokes the longing that pervades diasporic experience and explores how we carry memory and our roots in our bodies.
Created by Namit Kataria, this film was made during his time in the InFocus Film Production Program!
5. Sisyphus the Turtle Chaser
Years ago, teenagers, Will and Liang Zi grew up together in Northeast China. When they were young, Will was lively and naughty. He was known as the”king of gambling,” becoming a master of all kinds of gambling and trickery. Liang Zi was his faithful follower. One day, the pair ran away from home. Many years later, the two adults find each other face to face in Beijing. Liang Zi had a southern girl Molly, while Will became a taxi driver. Both adults must figure out how to face each other years later.
Beyond screening films that promote Chinese culture, the VCFF aims to further develop China-Canada relations. Liu Fei, Consul General of the People’s Republic of China in Vancouver, saw the quality of cross cultural exchange in the Vancouver Chinese Film Festival. Fei vocalized his wish for more young individuals to contribute to cross-cultural exchange between the two continents.
This year, the Vancouver Chinese Film Festival will be held as a joint festival with the Vancouver International Youth Film Festival. Reserve tickets for film screening here.
Other than the film screening, VCFF has many other events to check out. The Opening Ceremony will take place on August 8th at the Vancouver International Film Festival Theatre and the festival will conclude on August 13th at the Michael J Fox Theatre.
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InFocus Film Production Program
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