This week marks the end of the 15th annual Beijing International Film Festival (BJIFF), which aims to bring Chinese films to global audiences and foster greater diversity in the film industry. The festival hosted a special screening event in London that showcased a retrospective of films that won the prestigious Tiantian Award (a BJIFF competition with experienced judges from the international film community), and invited NüStories to attend. Here’s a list of the films:
Lost in the Stars
Year: 2022
Duration: 121 mins
Director: Cui Rui/Liu Xiang
Cast: Zhu Yilong/Ni Ni/Wen Yongshan
Synopsis and review: In Lost in the Stars, a man seeks to uncover the truth about his wife’s disappearance while holidaying on a fictional Southeast Asian resort island. When a mysterious woman (Janice Man) turns up claiming to be his wife, He Fei (Yilong Zhu) finds his reality put to the test. Desperate for answers, he enlists the help of a fellow Chinese lawyer, Chen Nai (Ni Ni), to find his real wife, Muzi (Kay Huang). The duo unravels a web of deceit and pretences that has the audience constantly second-guessing the truth. The movie delivers on the genre’s tropes: an unreliable narrator, a thrilling car chase, a jump over a waterfall to escape an assassin. But as twist after twist is revealed, the movie’s denouement requires an increasingly high suspension of disbelief. Still, Lost in the Stars is an entertaining ride, and strong performances by Zhu and Ni carry the story to a somewhat satisfying, if not sombre end – Connie Foong, writer.
G for Gap
Year: 2024
Duration: 103 mins
Director: Long Fei
Cast: Hu Ge/Gao Yuanyuan/Yue Hong/Zhou Yemang/Jin Jing
Synopsis: Wudi, a man disheartened by setbacks in both his career and love life, chooses to return to his hometown in a bout of depression. This “sudden” return disrupts the tranquil life of his family, as he not only has to navigate close quarters with relatives but also seek out new possibilities for his future. After numerous rejections in reality, a chance encounter with his high school classmate, Feng Liuliu, leads to unexpected changes in his life.
Song of Spring
Year: 2022
Duration: 109 mins
Director: Lina Yang
Cast: Wu Yanshu/Xi Meijuan/Wen Qi
Synopsis: An 85 year old mother has to take care of her 65 year old daughter with Alzheimer’s disease.
The Shadowless Tower
Year: 2023
Duration: 144 mins
Director: Lü Zhang
Cast: Xin Baiqing/Huang Yao/Tian Zhuangzhuang
Synopsis: Gu Wentong learns the whereabouts of his father, who lost contact with him more than 40 years ago. Encouraged by his new friend, Gu Wentong decides to face his father and rebuild the long-lost father-son relationship.
Beyond the Skies
Year: 2021
Duration: 86 mins
Director: Liu Zhihai
Cast: Chen Weixin/Wu Jiahui/Nie Jinquan
Synopsis: To be or not to be is the question that Beyond the Skies asks. The war film follows a young soldier named Hong Qichen, who trudges through the bloodstained ruins in his deadly mission to blow up the enemy’s ammunition depot within 48 hours. He puts together a squad of wounded soldiers in the treacherous mountains for a knock-down drag-out fight. Questioning whether their sacrifices are worth it, his brothers in arms fall in front of his eyes. The mission gets harder and harder to complete as time passes. Those who believe persist; others sink into the abyss of history.
Strangers When We Meet
Year: 2024
Duration: 108 mins
Director: Zhang Guoli
Cast: Fan Wei/Zhou Dongyu/Song Jia
Synopsis: Qin, was released from prison after serving 27 years. He just wanted to get married and have children and start a new life, but he unexpectedly met Chang Juan, a girl who had also just been released from prison.
We’ll be publishing several reviews of the films shortly and updating this page, so stay tuned!
