Director Luo Fei was at the premiere. (Courtesy of the interviewee)
Chongqing, 14 Jan (Xinhua) -- On 13 January, the premiere ceremony of the documentary "Raising sails," directed by British director Luo Fei, was held in Chongqing. This film shows the whole process of the construction of Raffles City Chongqing, a new landmark in Chongqing, a municipality directly under the central government of southwest China.
Located at Chaotianmen Gate in Chongqing, at the confluence of the Yangtze and Jialing rivers, Raffles City Chongqing is the first transverse skyscraper in China and one of the tallest in western China. Today, it is also the site of the operation center of the China-Singapore Connectivity Project.
"Sails" took five years to shoot, truly restored the project from the beginning of the design to the completion of the building, and captured the efforts and efforts of many witnesses from the architectural design team, development enterprises, urban governance institutions, to the construction team, etc., and witnessed the rise of a new landmark in the city.
Director Luo Fei is from the United Kingdom, now settled in Shanghai, living in China for more than 20 years, he has long used the lens to present the real China. His work "Yangguan Sandian" records the lives of traditional Chinese musicians; "Six People" tells the story of the Chinese survivors of the Titanic; "Before the College Entrance Examination, I Had a Fever" focuses on the struggles of a Shanghai test taker in the special college entrance examination environment last year.
How was the crystal corridor with a total steel consumption of 12,000 tons built? How do 110 trees magically "make their home" in the air? When flooding comes, how do buildings prevent floods? From the creative design of the "sail to the sky" shape to the challenges of various natural factors in the construction, the film is recorded in a panoramic manner.
In addition to this, he deliberately observed the life of the workers. He said that the summer in Chongqing is humid and hot, and the workers can maintain a positive working state under the high intensity of work, which is very remarkable.
Poster for the documentary "Sails". (Courtesy of the interviewee)
In 1999, when Luo Fei first came to Chongqing, he felt that it was a city with a personality. Because of this, in 2014, he was attracted to Chongqing to photograph the construction of this super project. "Sails" is Luo Fei's first long span in western China, and he said: "It was a very rewarding experience. We are fortunate to be able to witness the growth of this megacity's new landmark. I hope that in the future, more people can understand Chongqing through the film, understand Raffles City Chongqing, and pay attention to the people who silently pay behind Chinese architecture and every architectural miracle. ”
Moses Safdi, the project's lead architect, also shared his viewing experience with the audience: "It once again allowed me to go through the whole process, from creativity, design, execution, construction, and all the complexities that turned this super building into reality. ”
Source: Xinhua News Agency