Ghost Town (Fei Cheng)
ZHAO Dayong. China, 2008. Documentary, 169 minutes.
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For U.S. Sales, including television, home video and non-theatrical exhibition, please contact: Karin Chien (646) 360-0343 karin [at] dgeneratefilms [dot] com “Ghost Town is one of the most surprising and rewarding films I’ve seen all year, one of the most important films to have emerged from the booming (but still underexplored) field of Chinese independent documentaries.” – Dennis Lim, film critic, Editor of Moving Image Source, New York Film Festival selection committee member “I didn’t think there was another Jia Zhangke or Wang Bing lurking out there, but it turns out there is!” – Scott Foundas, film critic, Film Editor of L.A.Weekly, New York Film Festival selection committee member Zhiziluo is a town barely clinging to life. Tucked away in a rugged corner of Southwest China, the village is haunted by traces of China’s cultural past while its residents piece together a day-by-day existence. Lisa and Nu minority villagers squat in the abandoned halls of this remote former Community county seat, where Cultural Revolution slogans fade into the shadows of the old city hall, and a blank white figure of Chairman Mao gazes silently to the wild mountain wilderness of the Salween River Valley in China’s southwest Yunnan province. The film has a three-part structure: VOICES tells the story of Yuehan, the pastor of the local Christian church, and his 87 year-old father, John the Elder, a formerly jailed Lisu pastor who was among the first in the region to study with Western missionaries before they were expelled in 1957. Voices exposes the personal rift between Yuehan and his father as well as questions over the past and future of the church. RECOLLECTIONS is a story about two young lovers faced with substantial cultural and economic obstacles threatening their relationship. The young man, Pu Biqui, must decide whether to leave Zhiziluo for brighter prospects in the city, while his girlfriend faces the possibility of being sold into marriage to help her family with its financial woes. INNOCENCE tells thes tory of Ah Long, a twelve year-old boy who lives alone, having been abandoned by this family. Ah Long scavenges the area to feed himself, while still finding ways to amuse himself as a child, even indulging in a traditional Lisu exorcism. These lost souls of Zhiziluo struggle to find both spiritual and material solace in a world that has left them behind. Director’s Bio: ZHAO Dayong Film Website: www.lanternfilms.com.hk More Info: Read “A New Chapter for Chinese Cinema at NYFF” Film Festivals: New York Film Festival (Screening co-sponsored by Stranger Than Fiction), Turino Film Festival. Contact us to book a screening of this film at your festival, museum, or school. Trailer: Downloads: Press Kit (4.6 MB Zip file includes all publicity stills) Publicity Stills:
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