China Academy of Art Film 1 Young Teachers
Hai Tang
- 2010 / Chinese / Color / 13 min
Director: Fu Fan
An old woman lives in a run-down house with her grandson, who lies deep in a coma. In spite of this, the old woman is not discouraged at all. She bonds with her grandson as she cares for him, and watches over the beautifully blossoming Chinese crabapple plant that sits in her window.
Illegal Being 2
- 2013 / Chinese / Color / 88 min
Director: Liu Zhihai
Jiao is unmarried and pregnant, but the baby’s father dies in an accident before their daughter Qing is born, and the baby is unable to obtain a birth certificate. As Qing grows older, Jiao tries many ways to obtain the household registration that will allow Qing to go to school, but she is blocked at every turn. Desperate to give Qing a normal life, Jiao finally finds herself with no choice but to marry a man with a cognitive disability introduced to her by a police superintendent.
China Academy of Art Film 2 Young Teachers
I am the Son of a Passing Lark
- 2013 / Chinese / Color / 70 min
Director: Xu Xiaodong
A 9-year-old boy traverses Tibet as freely as a river flows over land. His beautiful singing voice enthralls passersby and other travelers, but the boy himself steadfastly refuses to be taken to “civilization.”
China Academy of Art Film 3 Young Directors
Beachcombers
- 2013 / Chinese / Color / 46 min
Director: Sun Xiaona
Several years ago, a large number of newcomers flocked to the city of Cixi, Zhejiang Province to earn a living as “beachcombers,” people who collect shells and shellfish. Over a thousand people from Sichuan still remain in the city. This film examines the constraints that humans and the environment place upon one another, showing shows how the results of their interaction can be.
The Bandsman
- 2013 / Chinese / Color / 20 min
Director: Wei Xiaofei
In rural China, one can find local bands that have performed the music of their region for years. This film follows the lives and performances of these band members as it reflects on love and duty in a Chinese farming village.
Youth
- 2013 / Chinese / Color / 20 min
Director: Zhao Hang
This film focuses on sex education during puberty, showing youths deepening their understanding of sexual identity, exploring their values and perceptions of money, as well as their reflections on love.
Between
- 2011 / Chinese / Color / 15 min
Director: Wang Shuai
This film addresses the complex subject of what exists between life and death. The film investigates patients’ life and death experiences, their relationships with their doctors, and their relationships with their families.
China Academy of Art Film 4 “New Young Talent Documentary Workshop” Films
Funeral Home
- 2013 / Chinese / Color / 35 min
Director: Liao Jianfen
A foreigner commits suicide, a chief prosecutor dies of old age, and an orphan dies from illness. Each of the deceased, guided by the hands of a mortician, embarks on a final journey. A funeral home is life’s last stop, where life and death meet.
Next to Heaven
- 2013 / Chinese / Color / 20 min
Director: Chen Yangyang
The director’s grandmother lives in a nursing home run by a church. Every day she sits next to an iron fence separating the church and the nursing home, and sings along with the church’s choir, which echoes in the distance.
She Sleeps Next Door
- 2013 / Chinese / Color / 30 min
Director: Li Renrui
A young band from Lanzho has a frequent turnover of musicians from different countries. Although the musicians have different personalities and goals, they all continue to play music in one band.
The Bridge
- 2013 / Chinese / Color / 15 min
Director: Huang Honghui
In a small town in the south of China, elderly people who are blind or without family tell people’s fortunes on a bridge. They live at the bottom of the social ladder—they do not know what their future holds, but they predict the destinies of others.
China Academy of Art Film 5 “New Young Talent Documentary Workshop” Films
Life on the Stage
- 2013 / Chinese / Color / 40 min
Directors: Qian Siru, Chen Zhongda
While in college, a group of youths were part of a theatre club, and upon graduation they pursued their dreams as theatre performers. They talk about how theatre keeps their future dreams alive.
Talking with My Grandmother
- 2013 / Chinese / Color / 30 min
Director: Yang Li
Up until the fourth grade of elementary school, the director lived with her grandmother, who she sees as her first teacher. The director discovers her grandmother’s love for her children, and is taken aback by her deep resentment towards her husband. This film traces her past, full of hardship.
Cart Driver No. 652
- 2012 / Chinese / Color / 8 min
Director: Jin Chaofan
Despite their important role in the clothing industry, cart drivers live at the bottom rung of society. This film follows a driver’s struggle to make a living while he shoulders the responsibility of taking care of his family.
Orphans
- 2013 / Chinese / Color / 22 min
Director: Chen Junguang
Born with disabilities, these orphans were babies when they were abandoned in front of a temple. An elderly head priest takes them in and raises them to lead a simple life, with occasional confrontation with death. When these orphans are with their fellow friends, their lives are filled with moments of joy.