Award-winning films from Shanghai
In 2017 at the Shanghai International Film Festival a new initiation has been launched under the title “Belt and Road”. As part of this agreement the SIFF invites the representatives of more than 30 film festivals and organizations to participate at their festival. The CineFest Miskolc International Film Festival’s representatives are traditionally there.
This co-operation makes it possible for the parties to share their experiences and thoughts on organizing festivals, reaching the audience, building marketing strategies. In the framework of the Film Market program the participating countries have the opportunity to present the characteristics of their contemporary film industry and cultural tendencies and participated in a discussion on the topics mentioned above.
An important part of the co-operation is that the 16th CineFest Miskolc International Film Festival screens three fresh Chinese movies selected by the Shanghai International Film Festival with the filmmakers being present.
This year the venue of the program is the Béke room where the program starts on the 13th of September at 9 PM with “The Road Home” by Lianrong Zang és Ruogu Xu. Suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, Zonghua has always been at odds with his family, especially with his son Yong. Before Zonghua walks toward the end of his life, he insists on going back to Jialing county, where he worked in his youth. Since Zonghua could not take care of himself, Yong had to accompany his father on the journey. After the twists and turns on the way between tears and smiles, the father and son finally arrive to Jialing county where the father’s secret is uncovered. This explains why the father has been failing to take care of the family for so many years.
On the 15th of September at 8 PM “The Return” (directed by Hailu Qin and Xiaoli Yang) tells a somewhat similar story. In 1949, during the Chinese Civil War between the Communists and the Nationalists, young man JIANG Sheng bids farewell to his family and flees to Taiwan in order to save an officer of the army, LI Yaojun. Now in their sunset years, both LI and JIANG hang out in a “Red Envelope Club” in Taipei’s Ximending, where veterans who abandoned their families in Mainland China listen to young women sing popular songs from their native land and pay them with money in red envelopes. As JIANG becomes gravely ill, he has to reconcile his emotions for one of the “red envelope girls” with his deep longing for his homeland. The actor playing the main character is 95 years old and he says that it is his last film, while the director, Hailu Qin is a popular actress and singer making her directorial debut with this film.
On the 19th of September at 8 PM the ‘A First Farewell’ (directed by Lina Wang) premieres in the Béke room. According to Variety it is a beautifully composed movie about children who have to face difficulties due to their faith. The film played by amateur child actors won Silver Bear at this year’s Berlinale in the Generation Kplus program.
The Road Home and A First Farewell screenings are followed by Q&A
Related programs:
SIFF Presents Programs
