A New Old Play
Short synopsis
The leading "clown" role in a renowned theatre troupe passes on, and is welcomed into the Underworld. As he relives his vivid memories one last time before entering the afterlife, fifty years of art, struggle and love play out against the background of 20th-century China’s tumultuous history.
Long synopsis
One evening in the 1980s, Qiu Fu, a leading clown-role actor in 20th-century Sichuan opera, departs this world and must reluctantly set off for the Ghost City under the escort of two underworld officials. Along the way, he meets old friends. As they recall the past, earthly scenes creep into the mists of the Netherworld.
Qiu Fu’s life in opera unfolds against the backdrop of a secular upheaval. The "New-New'' Troupe in which he grows up and learns his trade is affiliated with the military. The troupe is cast loose as power shifts to wander rootlessly through a broken world. Despite this unsettled destiny, shaped by war, famine and political turmoil, Qiu Fu becomes one of the finest clown-role performers in Sichuan opera. And yet, one day he finds himself clapped in a pigsty as a political revolution rages outside.
Outside the Ghost City, sitting among familiar faces, Qiu Fu drinks the mandatory bowl of Forgetfulness Soup to erase his memory. A lifetime of hardship, pain and sorrow, all vanish as if they had never been.
Awards
2021
The 74th Locarno Film Festival, Special Jury Prize
The 74th Locarno Film Festival, Junior Jury Prize – Second Prize
The 43rd Festival des 3 Continents, Young Jury Award
The 18th Golden Apricot International Film Festival, Special Mention of International Full-Length Competition
The 14th Asia Pacific Screen Awards - Nomination of Best Cinematography, Australia
Awards·Project
2020
Aide après Réalisation Cinéma, Région Île-de-France
White Light Post-Production Award, Hong Kong Asia Film Financing Forum
2018
Script and Development Fund, Hubert Bans Fund
2017
CNC Cash Award, The Golden Horse Film Project Promotion
Selected Film Festivals
2022
The 51st International Film Festival Rotterdam, Focus: Jiongjiong Qiu, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
The 45th Göteborg Film Festival, Voyage - Out of Competition, Göteborg, Sweden
The 26th International Film Festival of Kerala, Official World Cinema, Kerala, India
2021
The 74th Locarno Film Festival, Main Competition, Locarno, Switzerland - Special Jury Prize
The 43rd Festival des 3 Continents, Main Competition, Nantes, France - Young Jury Award
The 18th Golden Apricot International Film Festival, International Full Length Competition, Yerevan, Armenia - Special Mention of International Full Length Competition
The 14th Asia Pacific Screen Awards - Nomination of Best Cinematography, Australia
The 26th Busan International Film Festival, A Window on Asian Cinema, Busan, South Korea
The 45th São Paulo International Film Festival, International Perspective, São Paulo, Brazil
CPH:PIX, The Human Touch, Copenhagen, Denmark
The 25th Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival, Current Waves, Tallinn, Estonia
The 32nd Singapore International Film Festival, Asian Competition, Singapore
The 16th Jogja - NETPAC Asian Film Festival, Main Competition, Jakarta, Indonesia