Programme

Nostalgia by Boyuan Li (London Film School)

2022 - 19 min - Mandarin - Subtitles: English

In the autumn of the third year of the epidemic, Xue returns to her hometown, where her grandmother still lives. Quarantine and unemployment plague her. Xue lies on her little bed but never sleeps that soundly. Time seems slower here. In the evening, Xue and Grandma have dinner together, and the old house is cut off again. In the candlelight, she seems to see herself in her childhood.

Dou by Jing Zhao (London Film School)

2023 - 23 min - Mandarin - Subtitles: English

Dou, a piano teacher who has long endured mental and physical violence from her husband, transforms into a fox after being killed by him. 'Dou' is a contemporary film adaptation of an ancient Chinese folktale from 'Liao Zhai', penned by Pusongling in 1740.

Poet by Kun Sun (London Film School)

2023 - 22 min - Mandarin - Subtitles: English

A female worker at a closing stone factory, who had an undisclosed relationship with the supervisor and a passion for poetry, discovers a poster for a poetry sharing event in her usual old bookstore. From then on, waves of poetic inspiration surge through her heart at random moments, leading her to make an extraordinary choice to defend her poetry and spiritual freedom.

The End of Love 最后的爱情 by Yanwenjun Liu

2023 - 21 min - Mandarin - Subtitles: English

Tian Qian runs into a mysterious clone man in her usual underground bookstore, and she can't get him out of her head. After they have tasted intimacy, she believes she might have fallen in love, as people once did. Her mother, who is in charge of genetic engineering, hides her blueprint of a world led by women, which accidentally speaks to Tian Qian’s pursuit of “love”.

The Water Murmurs by Story Chen

2022 - 15 min - Mandarin - Subtitles: English - Festival de Cannes: Palme d’Or

When an asteroid hits the Earth, underwater volcanic eruptions risk submerging a riverside town and the inhabitants start to flee inland. The day before leaving, Nian says goodbye to a childhood friend but on her way she crosses paths with some of the town’s residents. Gradually, her memories of the town start to become clearer and clearer in her mind.