The Paper's reporter Chen Chen
Since its inception in 2018, the Belt and Road Film Week has become a highly distinctive and important unit of the Shanghai International Film Festival. Compared with the award-winning films that will be selected by various different film festivals, or the new restorations launched by different institutions every year, these unpopular masterpieces from small language countries are more "rare".
Whether it is the warm light of human nature shining in the Apennine Peninsula or the healing and redemption in North African civilization, these films will lead the audience to open the world of the heart and feel a unique soul in the flow of time. The art of light and shadow breaks down the geographical barrier, and the wonderful audiovisual language connects the life at both ends of the screen.
Every year, the annual strong films recommended by the member institutions of the "Belt and Road" Film Festival Alliance are gathered, so that the audience can share the latest achievements of filmmakers from all over the world in exchanges and mutual learning, and also see the "other life" of distant foreign lands through movies.
"Belt and Road" Movie Week poster
The theme of this year's "Belt and Road" Film Week Film Festival is "Opening the Heart World", and the 20 selected films show the encounters of people's lives in different cultural backgrounds, the waves of inner thoughts and emotions, and the choice of fate, and look forward to bringing the audience the aftertaste of art, spiritual experience and spiritual resonance.
This year, eight of the 20 films were shortlisted for the Film Wednesday Honors contest to compete for "Media Attention Films", "Media Attention Filmmakers", and "Most Popular Films by Audiences".
These 8 films are "The Fox Hides in the Hole", which tries to tap the innocent potential of "bad boys"; "Pink Clouds", a fictional story that echoes human life during the epidemic period; "Mordauga", which explores the fate of man and nature; "The Other Me", which spies on the inner self; "The Drowning Butterfly" that directly hits the wells of Iran; "Take Omar Home" that tells the warm and kindwill of strangers; "The Box of Memories", which was shortlisted for the main competition in Berlin and accidentally overturned the youth past; "Like a Shadow" that records the collision of new and old ideas of contemporary Turks. "Review" by the audience will be accepted.
The 12 films screened include: "The Poet Kupala", which records the magnificent life of the Belarusian national poet, "All the Way to the Voice of Virtue", which tells the story of the Midlife Crisis of the Bulgarian uncle, "The Memory Ecstasy" starring Dylan O'Brien, the hero of the Moving Labyrinth, "Dawn", which is full of unique metaphors echoing the reality of local society, "Twilight Time", which explores the problem of social aging, "Curfew", which exposes the family secrets buried for twenty years, "The Moon and 66 Problems", which connects stories with tarot elements, "Apple" co-produced by Cate Blanchett, "Natural Light", which won the Silver Bear Award for Best Director at the 71st Berlin International Film Festival, "The Return of Japan" by Italian national treasure actress Sophia Roland, "Farewell on the Shores of South Russia", which shows the unique natural scenery of Laos, and "Paper Spider", which tells the story of the healing and transformation of two generations of women.
It is worth mentioning that this year's "Belt and Road" Film Week held the Yangtze River Delta screening activities for the first time, and 6 theaters in Hangzhou, Ningbo, Suzhou, Nanjing and Hefei will simultaneously display the scenery of "Heart World".
Honors shortlisted films
Fox in a Hole (2020)
Highlights: Austrian version of Dead Poetry Society
Fox, who was originally the band's drummer, came to teach in the juvenile prison, and together with another prison teacher, Elizabeth Berger, he tried to tap into the children's innocent potential through music and painting. During this time, Samira, an introverted teenage girl, was held in solitary confinement for violence. In the process of trying to understand Samira and trying to open the girl's heart knot, Fox finally has the courage to face his inner trauma again.
The Pink Cloud (2021)
What to watch: If we had to continue to isolate, what would the future hold?
The film was shortlisted for the World Drama Competition at the 37th Sundance Film Festival. A mysterious and deadly pink cloud has appeared around the world, and people have been forced to stay at home. Unexpectedly, the pink clouds did not disperse for a long time, and the blockade became the norm. Men and women who were strangers also gradually became husband and wife. When men slowly adapt to the blockade, women begin to nostalgic for the past, and inner difficulties gradually appear.
The Other One (2020)
What to watch: A philosophical dialogue inspired by Melville's Moby Dick
The film is an observational documentary film in which the director spent two years connecting with the characters in the film. The film's story revolves around an old man who chose to marginalize himself more than forty years ago. The old man lives alone somewhere at the end of the world, but he is not alone. The days change between reading and hunting, between drinking and exploring. One day, the tide washed the carcass of a beluga whale onto the beach. The old man who witnessed this began a philosophical speculation with his own heart.
Mordauga (Anima, 2020)
Highlights: Directed by Cao Jinling, director of "Wuhan Day and Night", Li Pingbin's lens explores the original forest scenery, Liao Qingsong clips, Lin Qiang soundtrack, Wang Chuanjun and Qi Xi lead the starring.
The film was shortlisted for the main competition section of the 42nd Cairo International Film Festival. The last cold temperate primary forest in China is located in Mordauga, Inner Mongolia, and carpet felling has left only a few dozen centuries-old trees in the primary forest. The film tells the thrilling story of an Evenk lumberjack who went through in the 1990s to protect this primeval forest.
Drowning Butterfly (Drown, 2020)
Highlights: Rare Iranian crime genre films; sweeping the 2020 Iranian Dawn Film Festival with audience awards and other five major awards.
Pavane is a female swimming coach who works in a women-only swimming pool in Tehran. One day, her swimming instructional video was widely disseminated on the Internet, and the family was torn apart. Pavanay's brother-in-law, Hashemite's younger brother Khoja, embarks on a journey through the underground labyrinth of Tehran in order to track down the perpetrators of the sneaky and leaked videos.
Bring Omar Home (Abu Omar, 2020)
Highlights: "Tel Aviv is Burning" male lead Kays Nassef road movie new work
Salah, a Palestinian man living in Israel, unfortunately lost his young son, Omar, and was customarily required to take his son back to his hometown for burial. In order to return home as soon as possible, Salah decided to cross the border with a duffel bag wrapping the remains of his young son. However, strict military controls are being imposed on the Palestinian-Israeli border, making his journey extremely difficult. Millie, a pregnant single woman, met Salah while working at the mall. After learning about her father's difficulties, Millie decided to help him as much as she could. During this short but gentle road journey, two lonely souls become partners with each other.
Memory Box (2021)
Highlights: Tape and film look back at the memories of youth
The film was shortlisted for the main competition at the 71st Berlin International Film Festival. On Christmas Eve, single mother Maya and daughter Alex receive an unexpected courier: a cardboard box containing Maya's memories of her youth. Out of curiosity, Alex sneaked through the materials. Voices from the past are unsealed; the timeline jumps from the sedate serenity of modern Montreal to the wartime hustle and bustle of Beirut in the eighties. Between fantasy and reality, Alex enters the world of her mother, and a memory of the turbulent life and adolescent years of the Lebanese civil war is reopened.
Ghosts, 2020
Highlights: International Critics Week Awards at the 77th Venice Film Festival
A girl who loves to dance, a mother who chooses desperately for her son, a young girl who loves to dance, a feminist artist, a cunning middleman; a drug trafficking incident in a local community in Istanbul is inextricably linked to the four of them. The film uses a network-shaped narrative structure to interleave, superimpose and weave the fates of the four characters, outlining a noisy contemporary story.
A list of screening films
Poet Kupala (2020)
Highlights: Director's debut, with beautiful classical pictures and music to show the magnificent life of the famous Belarusian poet Yanka Kupala.
The film is a biographical feature film about the famous Belarusian national poet Janka Kupala. Kupala, born in 1882, is considered one of the greatest Belarusian writers of the twentieth century, and his works have become a literary classic in Belarus. The film's memories of the poet begin in his childhood, gradually revealing the poet's past and growth experience, thus portraying the image of a great poet with a strong will and a pure heart in a turbulent historical period.
German Lessons (2020)
What to watch: The self-healing of a middle-aged bulgarian uncle
Nikolai, a middle-aged man, learned German to escape from his unpleasant past and decided to move to Germany to embrace a new life. Before leaving, he visits his long-estranged relatives one by one, hoping to repair his relationship with them and say goodbye to the past. Looping recordings of German words echo in his ears, what does his future hold? Bulgarian actor Julian Vigov won the Best Actor Award at the 42nd Cairo International Film Festival for this film.
The Education of Fredrick Fitzell (2020)
Highlights: Dylan O'Brien, the male protagonist of "Moving Labyrinth", finds himself in parallel time and space
Because of a chance encounter, the ordinary white-collar Fred embarks on an extraordinary journey in which the past, present and future are intertwined. When the secrets of adolescence are gradually revealed, Fred realizes that his current confusion and difficulties are related to the unresolved doubts of the past. The film's brilliant editing creates a sense of parallel time and space travel, subtly showing the protagonist's memories, reflections and compensation for the past.
The Dawn (2020)
What to watch: Symbolism and metaphors that blend elements of horror reflect the social reality of the Balkans
The film's director Dalibor Martinich's "Sun Shines High", which won the Grand Jury Prize in the "One Kind of Attention" section of the 68th Cannes International Film Festival, is a companion piece to "Sun Shine" and is one of the director's "Sun Trilogy". The story is set in the future, showing the confusion and pain of a family of four in the face of social upheavals and the departure of relatives. The unique style of symbolism and metaphor in the film provides a rich perspective for the interpretation of the film.
Twilight Time (Senior Citizen, 2020)
Highlights: Show old age from the perspective of the elderly living alone
Theo Harris is an old man who lives alone. He refused to be helped by his children and was reluctant to associate with others. Every night, he spends the night on a hospital bench and returns home early in the morning to be with cats and memories. Occasionally, Theo Harris would go to the Seniors Club to play a game of guessing, where there were many people like him who waited quietly in the twilight hours. One night, the nurse Evgenia noticed the old man, and trust slowly grew between the two. The nurse finally learned about the old man's past and the reasons for choosing to spend the night in the hospital.
Curfew (Curfew, 2020)
What to watch: Uncover the secrets of the family twenty years ago
Layla's mother was jailed 20 years ago for a felony. Layla could not forgive her mother's behavior until she grew up and married. Now her mother, Fatin, is released after completing her sentence, but due to the curfew, she cannot return home immediately. Despite her unhappiness, Layla took her mother to her house for the night. During the hectic curfew night, there were constant emergencies, and in the process of solving the problem between mother and daughter, Layla suddenly felt that the mother in front of her was actually strong and brave. At the same time, the joy and respect shown by all relatives and neighbors when they reunited with their mother who was released from prison seemed to reveal that there may be another hidden plot behind the mother's crime.
Moon, 66 Questions (2020)
Highlights: Experimental films that use the occult to construct dreams and the world of consciousness, depicting the emotional stitching of non-traditional families
The film tells the story of artemis, a young girl who left her hometown for many years, returned to her hometown of Greece to take care of her father due to her father's serious illness. In the process of spending time together, Artemis inadvertently discovers his father's long-hidden secret. This allowed her to truly understand her father's pain for the first time, and the father-daughter relationship between the two had a new beginning. The film was shortlisted for the Adventures section of the 71st Berlin International Film Festival.
Natural Light (2021)
Highlights: The whole film is shot in natural light, and the fire of the war complements the cold mountain color
The story takes place in the former Soviet Union, which was occupied by German forces in World War II. Originally an ordinary Hungarian farmer, István was recruited into a special group under German command to search for guerrillas after the outbreak of war. During the mission, the troops were attacked and the commander was killed by the other side. István had to face the fear and lead the entire army to continue the mission. The film won the Silver Bear For Best Director at this year's 71st Berlin International Film Festival.
The Life Ahead (2020)
Highlights: The comeback of 86-year-old Italian national treasure actress Sophia Roland
Mrs. Rosa, who lives in the Italian port city of Bari, was a former prostitute and a concentration camp survivor. After retiring, she provided a home in the apartment for the children of other "working women". Momo, a 12-year-old orphan, is a migrant from Senegal. Recently, he was expelled from school for stabbing a school bully with a pencil. A robbery that binds Momo and Madame Rosa closer together, and two lonely souls slowly establish a deep connection. Momo accompanies Lady Rosa, who has been plagued by the memory of the massacre, and Mrs. Rosa's kindness and patience gradually make Momo feel the hope of coming to Japan.
Goodbye Mister Wong (2020)
Highlights: 16mm film presents natural scenery and historical images of Laos
Mr. Wang, a foreign businessman who came to Laos to invest, fell in love with a local woman, Farangsi, but she already had a belonging. At the same time, Hugo, a man from France, traveled to the shores of the lake in southern Russia to find his long-separated wife. Farangsi witnessed the twists and turns of love between the French couple and decided to say goodbye to Mr. Wang. On the shores of the lake in Southern Russia, the fates of different people meet among the dappled lake lights and trees. The style of this film is delicate and lazy, like a boat in a hazy landscape, carrying a calm time and slowly moving forward.
Apple (Apples, 2020)
What to watch: Kate Blanchett co-produced a sci-fi philosophical sketch
A sudden infectious disease swept the world, and people who fell ill lost their memory. Patient Aris found himself enrolled in a rehabilitation program designed to help people rebuild their new lives. Doctors record his journey by helping him create "new" memories, trying to reintegrate him into society. The film explores the function of human memory and how it affects our existence. Is memory really what we have experienced, or is it an illusion reconstructed with artificially sifted elements? The film was selected for the 33rd Tokyo International Film Festival.
Paper Spiders (2020)
What to watch: The two generations of women heal and transform each other
Unlike the average mother and daughter, Dawn and his daughter Melanie get along more like close friends who can joke with each other. The death of the father has made the relationship between the mother and daughter closer. However, the new neighbors who have just moved into the next house seem to be frantically stalking and harassing Dawn, thus breaking the peaceful life of the mother and daughter. However, neither the police nor the private investigators hired by Dawn could find any evidence that the neighbor was stalking. Melanie tries to help her mother catch the stalker, but she can't help but wonder: Is all this real or just a fantasy of her mother?
Editor-in-charge: Cheng Yu
Proofreader: Shi Gong