Co-presented by the Alula Film Festival
A film crew arrives in remote town Yong'an. The fresh air they bring in spreads ripples in the heart of Gu, the owner of a local restaurant. She dreams of another life. Movie star Chen is back in her hometown; she expects to revisit her childhood friends and good old days. An endless debate persists between the director and the writer, revolving from cinema to life. Shooting must start, although consensus is never reached.
Ripples of Life is the second feature by acclaimed Chinese filmmaker Wei Shujun (Only the River Flows, Striding Into the Wind).
TRT: 123 min
In person: Wei Shujun
"Artful and intelligently funny."—Panos Kotzathanasis, Asian Movie Pulse
"A vital piece of social commentary and a formidably executed feat of high-concept filmmaking." —Sam C. Mac, InReviewOnline
"A dexterous rumination on the pursuit of authenticity. Swiftly deliver[s] on the promise of [Wei's] freewheeling, semi-autobiographical debut feature Striding Into the Wind." —John Berra, Screen International
"Benefitting from rich cinematography and sharp writing, Ripples of Life is a fascinating and offbeat portrait of four different people circling around a central pivot."—Rob Aldam, Backseat Mafia
"Wei Shujun reflects on different aspects of experiencing life through the cinema, remaining in dialogue with the history of filmmaking in China but also venturing beyond realism into dreamscapes and expressionism."—Maja Korbecka, Senses of Cinema
(Available to download after screening date)