wild grass: new chinese images - DOXA Documentary Film Festival

WILD GRASS: NEW CHINESE IMAGES
TUES MAY 5
Haze and Fog
3:45 PM | VANCITY THEATRE
Cao Fei | China | 2013 | 47 mins
One part Charlie Chaplin to two parts horror movie, Cao Fei’s
film might not fall into the realms of traditional documentary,
and that’s okay! It is widely inventive, hilarious and disturbing,
all at the same time. Zombies roam hallways. A dominatrix in
stilettos whips a man. An indicator that things are seriously
awry in an urbanized China, or a cheerfully bleak portrait of
Armagedon? What most endures is Cao Fei’s singular vision.
TUES MAY 5
8:45 PM | CINEMATHEQUE
Karst Elegies
Shen Jie | China | 2015 | 80 mins
The relationship between people and the land takes on especial
poignancy in China, as the country’s stunning natural beauty
succumbs to unparalleled levels of development. Bracketed
by two different rituals, Shen Jie’s film unfolds as a series of
conversations with the residents of his home village. Some
exchanges are sweetly nostalgic, while others are bleak beyond
grief.
WED MAY 6
3:00 PM | VANCITY THEATRE
Rivers and my father
Li Luo | China/Canada | 2011 | 75 mins
The relationship between one generation and the next is the
point of entry in Luo Li’s hybrid documentary, Rivers and my
father. Immersive in the same way as memory, or water, the film
moves at its own pace, calm, reflective, seemingly easygoing,
but there are depths here. The Proustian flavour of Luo Li’s
film is readily apparent, but its intent is much more than simple
nostalgia.
THURS MAY 7
Cut Out the Eyes
5:00 PM | VANCITY THEATRE
Xu Tong | China | 2014 | 80 mins
Er Houshen is an itinerant performer in Inner Mongolia.
Something of a local legend, Er performs on outdoor stages
to rapturous crowds. Everyone from teenage girls to toothless
elderly ladies are enthralled by his ribald stage manner and
musicianship. More than a study in ethnomusicology, director
XuTong casts a light on the universal value of song in its ability to
transcend and communicate the full range of human emotion.