The Belt and Road Film Week has been held for five sessions, and many of the films come from countries that are rarely seen in the film market. What is the charm of these films? What are we trying to present and bring to the audience?
Is it to light up a piece of the world's puzzle and see another life; is it to break down barriers, open your heart and find the power to grow; or is it to find a common language with sincere emotions and communicate with those far away?
The answers are all in the light of movies.
Perhaps the answer of each audience is different. But the stories related to the "Belt and Road" all lead us to open our arms, take a step forward, embark on a road of courage, and appreciate the unknown scenery. From Zhang Qian to Marco Polo, there is not much experience to rely on. The only way is to look back at the past, look forward to the future, and embrace the present with a completely open, broad-minded and determined spirit of exploration.
This is the origin of the theme of this year's "Belt and Road" Film Week, "The Road of Courage". The protagonists of the 18 films made choices on the screen, either breaking through their inner constraints or heading to strange and distant places, taking a step forward in their lives.
Here are the ten films:
Persona Non Grata (2024, Antonin Svoboda)
Highlights:
Based on true events, skiing champion embraces 'the courage to be hated'
Andrea was once a highly regarded professional skier. Many years ago, her sports career came to an abrupt end for unknown reasons, which puzzled the sports world. Half a lifetime later, when she once again witnessed the uncomfortable situation on the training ground, Andrea decided to completely get rid of the ghosts of the past and tell her experience in ski school when she was young. Her courage also inspired more and more people to stand with her. Director Antonin Svoboda is also a film producer. He has participated in the production of works such as "Aida, Where Are You Going" and "Toni Erdmann". This film is his third feature film as a director.
Mighty Afrin: in the Time of Floods (2023, Angelos Rallis)
Highlights:
Take a boat ride and watch a Bangladeshi girl explore the big city alone
Flooding is like an annual ritual for Afrin, a 12-year-old girl living in a rural area of Bangladesh. A severe flood forced Afrin to leave the only world she was familiar with and row a wooden boat alone to the bustling metropolis of Dhaka to find a new place to stand. The director followed the film for five years, filming the lives of residents in severely flooded areas; stretching the lens between fantasy and reality, recording the epic journey of the brave girl Afrin who was forced to grow up quickly.
Pictures of Ghosts (2023, Kleber Mendonça Filho)
Highlights:
The superposition of various forms of video materials presents a picture scroll of modern Brazilian customs
The documentary "Ghost Portrait" by the famous Brazilian director Kleber Mendoza Jr. is set in Recife, a famous historical and cultural city in Brazil, and takes the audience on a multi-dimensional journey through time, sound, architecture and images. In the 20th century, the city's cinemas were the palaces of joy for countless people. They carried dreams and progress, and also recorded major changes in social history. This film combines historical video materials, street legends, film clips and personal memories, and draws a map of Brazilian history and humanity through the film lens.
Semmelweis (2023, Lajos Koltai)
Highlights:
Known as the "savior of mothers", Hungarian obstetricians launched a "hand washing revolution"
Directed by Lajos Kotai, the photographer of "Malala" and "The Legend of 1900", this film is the highest-grossing local film in Hungary in the past five years. Washing hands can prevent infection and maintain health. This common sense of hygiene has been known to people for less than two hundred years. The first person in history to advocate hand washing was the prototype of the protagonist of this film, Hungarian obstetrician Semmelweis. His ideas were denounced as heresy by the medical community at the time, but his persistence saved countless lives.
Sima's Unfinished Narration (2023, Alireza Samadi)
Highlights:
How a popular online post turned a university professor's happy life upside down
Arash Simin is a well-respected university professor and TV host with a happy family. Everything seems perfect. Unexpectedly, an anonymous article accusing him began to circulate on social media, casting a shadow on his "successful" life. Is it a rumor or a fact? In the age of information-filled Internet, how far are we from the truth? The film explores the impact of social networks on people's lives and asks the audience: When morality and the pursuit of success conflict, which is more important?
Returning the Son (Bauryna Salu, 2023, Askhat Kuchinchirekov)
Highlights:
The boy who was sent away at an early age returns to his parents
The nomadic Kazakhs have an old custom: the first child of a young couple will be adopted by their grandparents to support the elderly, strengthen family ties, and solve the labor shortage. According to this custom, the boy Yelsultan did not return to his parents until his grandmother died, but found that they were strangers to each other. Askat Kuchinshilekov, who has participated in the filming of masterpieces such as "Little One" and "Tupan", looked back on his own experiences in his first feature film as a director, and explored the boy's difficult and tense growth time with documentary-like lenses. The film has been shortlisted for the "New Director" unit of the 2023 San Sebastian International Film Festival.
Valley of Exile (2023, Anna Fahr)
Highlights:
The tender gaze of a woman reveals the beauty of humanity in difficult times
After the outbreak of the Syrian civil war, the Bekaa Valley in Lebanon has become a shelter for many Syrian refugees. Through the life choices of two sisters in exile, this film shows the real experience of refugees and the brilliance of humanity in difficult situations. The eight-month pregnant sister wants to reunite with her husband in Lebanon and rebuild her life; while the sister wants to find her missing brother and eventually return home. This film has been shortlisted for the 2023 Warsaw Film Festival International Competition Unit in Poland.
The Experts (2024, Andre Chiew/Nazim Shah)
Highlights:
The Malaysian version of Now You See Me is infused with Hong Kong film elements
After a gold robbery ten years ago, a gang of five siblings retired from the business. However, a notorious gang leader threatens their family's safety and forces them to get involved in another thrilling robbery. Old grudges are rekindled and family tragedies surface. The shadow of the past looms over them, and loyalty and family ties are at risk. In this seemingly impossible mission, will they finally use their wisdom to protect their family, or will they be torn apart forever by this desperate mission?
Nastase: More Than Tennis (Nasty, 2024, Tudor Giurgiu/Cristian Pascariu/Tudor D. Popescu)
Highlights:
A true record of the rebellious life of a tennis superstar
This film is a biopic of Ilie Nastase, the top tennis player of the 1970s. The Romanian player became a rebellious "rock star" because of his breaking the stereotypes of tennis and his charming, generous and irritable personality. Combining wonderful archival footage and exclusive interviews, this film reviews the glory and controversy of the protagonist's life and his lasting impact on the world of tennis. The film will have its world premiere in the Special Screenings section of the 2024 Cannes Film Festival.
Wow! (!Aitsa, 2023, Dane Dodds)
Highlights:
Switch between ultra-close-ups and the brilliant Milky Way to explore the vastness of life
South Africa's Great Karoo is a vast, empty semi-desert area. The documentary "Wow!" attempts to trace the evidence of ancient humans exploring the mysteries of the universe here. Today, it is one of the locations of the international radio telescope project "Square Kilometer Array". Through interviews with scientists, archaeologists, local clergy, indigenous people and other different groups, this film explores topics such as "the nature of time". Ancient wisdom and cutting-edge technology meet and collide in this film, bringing a broad and transcendent viewing experience.
Tickets for this year's film festival will go on sale on the Tao Piaopiao platform at 12 noon on June 7.
Note: If the film list changes, please refer to the actual schedule.
