Stonehead

Shi Tou / 2016 / People’s Republic of China / 90 min

A Chinese village deep in the countryside: home to ten-year-old Zhu Hongbo, whom everyone calls ‘Stonehead’. He is one of many children whose parents have moved to the big cities as migrant workers. As a county model student, Stonehead receives not just a certificate, but also a brand-new football. Yet his joy at receiving this reward soon makes way for disappointment. With its documentary-like gaze, Zhao Xiang's debut film tells the moving and astute tale of children left behind in rural China, and how their individual wishes come into conflict with obligations towards the community.

Director:
Zhao Xiang

Biography:
The Chinese director was born in Dalian in Liaoning province, in 1974.

Producer:
Liu Jie, Fan Congzheng, Ellen Eliasoph

Screenwriter:
Zhao Xiang, Liu Dan

Cinematographer:
Florian J.E. Zinke

Film editor:
Curran Pang, Danny Pang

Cast:
Zhu Hongbo, Cai Jiakun, Deng Shuo, Luo Xiaolan