New Wave of Chinese Cinema ~KATSUBEN Selection~
A New Old Play ◊ jp◊
- Onsite
- 7.20 (Thu) 10:30 Audio Visual Hall
[Talk Event] 7.20 (Thu) 14:00- at SKIP CITY HD Studio (Free Admission / No English interpretation)
Qiu Fu, a renowned Sichuan opera actor, has passed away. On his way to the underworld, he looks back on his life with the troupe in a quest for love and art, while struggling with the turbulent times.
Director: Jiongjiong QIU
Cast: Sicheng YI, Nan GUAN, Zhimin QIU
2021 / Hong Kong, France / 179min.
Chinese film prodigy Jiongjiong Qiu, with distinguished imagery, portrays a turbulent time and the people being tossed by the tide, focused on a Sichuan opera troupe, in this epic spanning half a century. A New Old Play won the Special Jury Prize at the 74th Locarno International Film Festival in 2021, as well as the FIPRESCI Award and the Young Cinema Competition Grand-prix at the 46th Hong Kong International Film Festival the following year. Qiu has had an interest in painting and Sichuan opera since his childhood, and has been active as a creator in the world of cinema as well as contemporary art and documentary video. Based on his grandfather’s experiences, the film, shot in a 400-square meter studio, faithfully depicts the history and politics of 20th-century China, its farce and tragedy, and personal and social memories. It surely is the culmination of his career to this point, and an amazing film, like a combination of Chen Kaige’s Farewell My Concubine (93) and Zhang Yimou’s To Live (94).
Director: Jiongjiong QIU
Born 1977 in Sichuan, China. Having a strong interest in painting and Sichuan opera since childhood, Qiu entered the art world as a teenager and produced a variety of works. He began videomaking with the idea that he wanted to move static paintings. Later, he created many video art works and documentaries for museums, and his 2015 film Mr. Zhang Believes was selected for Locarno, which garnered attention. His 2021 film, A New Old Play, won the Special Jury Prize at the 74th Locarno International Film Festival, and was acclaimed as the best Chinese film in recent years.
