The 14th Beijing International Film Festival has kicked off on April 18, as one of the highlights, the main competition unit of this year's Beijing Film Festival "Temple of Heaven Award" 15 shortlisted films from 21 countries and regions, from more than 1,500 films, including 12 foreign films, 3 domestic films.
Three domestic films were shortlisted for the "Temple of Heaven Award"
This year's "Temple of Heaven Award" has a total of three Chinese films shortlisted: "Stop-and-Go", "Travel Through the Moon" and "Morning Clouds and Dusk Rain".
"Stop-and-Go" is directed by young director Long Fei, starring Hu Ge and Gao Yuanyuan, which tells the story of Wu Di, a young man from Beipiao, who returned to his hometown due to work and emotional frustration, and met his high school classmate Feng Liuliu, and then his life changed unexpectedly. Long Fei used the style of light comedy to give a warm and deep hug to young people who were deeply anxious and in distress, and the combination of Hu Ge and Gao Yuanyuan was also full of expectations.
Li Weiran's new work "Travel Through the Moon" is also about the reunion and parting of urban migrant workers. On the day of the Mid-Autumn Festival, the two unexpectedly got a day off, and they both wanted to surprise each other, from Guangzhou to Shenzhen, within one day, two trains, three round-trips, they kept passing by, missing, and rushing back. Li Weiran uses sincere brushstrokes to outline the true feelings of ordinary individuals in the wave of reform, and also pays tribute to the classic movies of the Golden Age.
"Morning Clouds and Twilight Rain" is the first film directed by Zhang Guoli, starring Fan Wei and Zhou Dongyu, adapted from the true story "The Murderous Girl in a Wedding Dress", which tells the story of Lao Qin, who has served 27 years in prison, received a huge demolition fee after being released from prison, and in order to complete the oath of inheritance, he wants to marry Chang Juan, who was released from women's prison. One is to life, giving everything just for a trace of warmth, and the other is to die, without any attachment to the world. Their inner collision makes people see the deepest fragility and subtlety of human nature. Fan Wei once won the Best Actor in the 7th Beijing Film Festival "Temple of Heaven Award" for "Unproblematic Problems", and Zhou Dongyu served as a judge of the international jury of the 13th Beijing Film Festival "Temple of Heaven Award".
The works of old friends of the "Temple of Heaven Award" were shortlisted again
Finnish director Timu Niki won the "Temple of Heaven Award" at the 12th Beijing International Film Festival for Best Film, Best Screenplay and Best Actor in 2022 for the movie "A Blind Man Who Doesn't Want to Watch Titanic". This year, he was shortlisted again for his new film "The Man Who Faced Death," which tells the story of a gambler and his friend whose brain tissue is only 15% of the brain tissue and are forced to gamble their lives in order to win a fresh start.
Argentine female director Batania Capato's first feature film "School on the Wesso Hills" was shortlisted for the "Temple of Heaven Award" at the 11th Beijing Film Festival. This time, she and Adrian Suarez co-directed "Ant Girl" was shortlisted again. The film tells the story of a girl who took refuge in her sister when she was desperate, and gradually exposed the rift in her relationship in the days that followed, mixed with unbearable memories in between, bringing an immersive emotional experience to the audience.
Foreign new directors favor the "Temple of Heaven Award"
This year's "Temple of Heaven Award" has also attracted the favor of many new foreign directors, who have signed up for their debut films to participate in the selection of the "Temple of Heaven Award", and finally three new directors have made their debut shortlisted.
"The Abyss of the City" is the film debut of Israeli director Amit Ullman, and on a stormy night, Sarah Bennett comes to Detective Joe's office and asks him to help him find his missing sister. The film is structured in five acts, and it is also a dialogue between film and music, with wonderful singing passages in the film, and it is a film full of bold innovation.
"Milk" is the first feature film of Dutch director Stefanie Kolk, which tells the story of a woman who continues to secrete milk after a miscarriage and wants to donate her milk, but finds that the process of finding a donation channel is more difficult than expected.
The Indian film "The Lost Baby" is the first feature film directed by Karan Tejpal, which tells the story of a mother who embarks on a road of search together with the help of two young people after the five-month-old baby in her arms is taken away, reflecting deep thinking about themes such as motherhood and xenophobia.
The new works of famous directors are rich in genre and full of highlights
Among the 15 works shortlisted for the "Temple of Heaven Award" this year, there are also 8 works by famous directors, which are diverse in style, rich in genre, and full of highlights, and are the most powerful contenders for the award.
Japanese director Miyake Sing is a representative of the "Third Golden Age" of Japanese cinema, and his shortlisted work "Everything at Dawn" finds a good way to heal the soul from the interaction between two ordinary young people trapped in "urban faculties". Co-produced by Switzerland, France, Egypt and Qatar and directed by Tamer Rugley, "Back to Alexandria" tells the story of Sue, a woman who has been away from home for 20 years, and after returning to Egypt to meet her estranged mother, she faces the painful past and finally reconciles with the past and finds herself.
Co-produced by Serbia, Slovenia, Montenegro, North Macedonia and France, and directed by Dragan Bijeloglic, "Top Secret Formula" tells the story of a group of scientists at a nuclear research institute during the Cold War who proposed the first-ever human bone marrow transplant after a group of scientists at a nuclear research institute were exposed to uranium radiation.
In addition, the French film "Substitute Teacher", directed by Thomas Lietty, tells the story of a female substitute teacher in a secondary school who finds meaning in her work with her colleagues. Hans Steinbischler's Austrian-German co-production "Life" tells the story of the orphan Andreas, who goes from being a woodcutter to joining the Wehrmacht to go to the front line in the Soviet Union, and then return from the devastation after the war. Hannah Slark's German, French, and Slovenian co-production "Silence" tells the story of a mother's difficult choices after learning that her son had been injured in an accident at school. The Turkish-Bulgarian co-production "Reeds" directed by Jemir Achiklu tells the story of Ali, a villager who rises up against the oppression of landlords and gangs.
The judges of the international jury of this year's "Temple of Heaven Award" will select 10 awards, including Best Film and Best Director, from the above 15 shortlisted films, and the final results will be announced at the closing ceremony and award ceremony on April 26.