Latest update April 1st, 2015 6:34 PM
Berlinale - Homeland Lost
By Amy Lin
After Rotterdam, Venice and Busan, director Li Ruijun brings his new film JIA ZAI SHUI CAO FENG MAO DE DI FANG (RIVER ROAD) to the 65th Berlinale. The film is set in the Yugu nationality at Gansu Province who has only 14,000 people today about the search for homeland – 2 brothers ride camels into the desert in order to return to them home by the oasis. Along the way, they reconcile after constant bickering, but the homeland is nowhere to find. Here is the director talking about why and how did he make the film.
The setting of RIVER ROAD is only one desert away from where I made my previous two films THE OLD DONKEY and FLY WITH THE CRANE. I have seen the change of their living conditions and found that most of the Yugu people cannot speak their own language, so I feel the urgency to make a film about them. If I don’t act fast, I am afraid the language and even its culture will disappear soon. I chose these two kids actors and taught them how to speak their own language, how to ride the camel and horse, to learn the Yugu way of living. This was done during the summer vacation and I even guided them to finish their summer homework. At the end of the day, this sounds somewhat like a performance art.
I grew up in a village where there was no electricity until I turned 7 years old. Each month there were 2 screenings in the open air that all the villagers would go and watch. Then I went to college and took courses in filmmaking, where I found there is actually a kaleidoscope of films that are different from what I had seen as a kid. I considered to be a director and moved to Beijing right after graduation. In the first several years, there was no investment so I used my family savings and borrowed money to make my first film. But that film didn’t sell so in the next few years, I worked hard to pay off the debts. It was never easy, but I had already made up my mind to be a director and I will stick to this dream no matter what.
On the whole, for young filmmakers who want to make personal art house films, the situation is not getting any better in China. Luckily, RIVER ROAD has a bigger budget because I met producer Fang Li, who offered me very solid support in post-production. He had faith in the story and in me, for which I am very grateful.
It is noted that all my films focus on older people, kids and the nature because I think the relationship of the three will determine the society’s future, or even affect a nation’s destiny because nobody can escape from the 3 aspects of life. Our environment is getting tougher while our population is aging. In the countryside, where young people have gone to the cities to work, there are millions of left-behind old people leading a hard life. As for the kids in the film, if one day, the Yugu language no longer exists, it is quite sad – How are they going to distinguish your own origin and culture? In a way, they are walking on the debris of the mind, the culture and the environment, looking for a homeland that is lost. The film ends when they find their dad, but their life journey just begins.
Screenings in the Berlinale: Mon Feb 09 13:00 Haus der Kulturen der Welt (E)
Tue Feb 10 11:30CinemaxX 3 (E)Thu Feb 12 10:00Filmtheater am Friedrichshain (E)
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