FILM DAYS limited edition – 21 – 23 April 2023
FILMS 2019: A – E | F – L | M – P | Q – S | T – Z | Feature Film | Short Film
FILMS 2018: A – E | F – L | M – P | Q – S | T – Z | Feature Film | Short Film
FILMS 2017: A – E | F – L | M – P | Q – S | T – Z | Feature Film | Short Film
FILMS 2016: A – E | F – L | M – P | Q – S | T – Z | Feature Film | Short Film
FILMS 2015: A – E | F – L | M – P | Q – S | T – Z | Feature Film | Short Film
XU Bing | China | 2017 | color | DCP | 81′ | Chinese, English | e.s.
Chinese artist Xu Bing’s directorial debut could be described as The Truman Show, but in Real Life. He weaves a story of a boy and a girl in modern-day China out of security camera footage. This by turns shocking and poetic, but always fascinating, experiment reflects on our obsessive visual culture.
Chinese artist Xu Bing compiled his directorial debut from thousands of hours of footage from security cameras. With poet Zhai Yongming and screenwriter Zhang Hanyi he weaves a story involving two characters around these images. The young woman, Qing Ting (her name means ‘dragonfly’), leaves a Buddhist monastery and moves to the city. There she meets Ke Fan, and an intense friendship evolves. Will it become more than that?
Many asides are presented through security and dash cam footage – by turns frightening, poetic and mundane. For example, a girl is so immersed in her telephone that she doesn’t realize she’s walking straight towards a pond. A cow also clambers out of a moving truck, then stands somewhat lost in the middle of the motorway.
In this non-fiction version of The Truman Show, everyone is an actor without knowing it, and Bing delivers a commentary on (in)visibility, our obsessive media culture and contemporary China.
Place: The Cinemas 3
Date: 12 April 2018
Time: 13:30
Duration: 1:03
Place: The Cinemas 3
Date: 14 April 2018
Time: 21:45
Duration: 1:03
Place: The Cinemas 3
Date: 15 April 2018
Time: 12:45
Duration: 1:03
Year in
Festival
2018
Director
XU Bing
Country
China
Editor
Matthieu Laclau
Zhang Wenchao
Language
Chinese
English
Length
81′
Music
Hanno Yoshihiro
Producer
Xu Bing
Zhai Yongming
Matthieu Laclau
Production Company
Xu Bing Studio
Sales
Movie View
Scenario
Zhai Yongming
Zhang Hanyi
Sound Design
Li Danfeng
Year of Production
2017