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Production Pitch



Ningdu

LEI Lei

  • Hong Kong,USA, The Netherlands
  • 94min
  • DCP
  • color

Synopsis

Maomao recalls the struggles of his family amid China¡¯s tumultuous 1960¡¯s period. When Dad is compelled to work in the countryside, the already sick Mum passes away. As the system refuses Dad to live with his children, the three kids are kept in an orphanage. Locked in cages, Maomao and his two sisters become birds. Around them, masses are burning iron and steel. They start gigantic constructions that infuriate the River Dragon. A carp that turns into a woman helps the children to regain their human shape and settles with them at home, becoming their adoptive mother. When Dad is finally back, harmony and happiness arouse in this new family. Shortly after the Cultural Revolution starts, the house is blown away. The sisters are pushed to fly away. Dad and the kids are separated again. In the fields, people are burning flags and transforming into insects, while giant fruits and vegetables invade the world. Above, Gods of clouds observe the chaos. Maomao and his new Mum are sent to the countryside where they try to adapt, while Dad in another village is asked to confess his political past. They wait for the day to reunite¡¦

Director's Statement

In 2013, I read my father¡¯s article about an oral history ¡¸The Changes of My Family¡¹ and began to interview my family members about their memory. Like all my generation who lacks historical education, I looked for identification by exploring the past of my family. When I listened to them, I realized that everyone had a different story about the same time. I try to understand history by reading them. In "Ningdu", all characters, mountains and rivers are made of modelling clay. The texture and colouring of the image will give a nostalgic feeling. If the cinema uses the language of dreams, the greatest charm of animation language is ¡®dreaming in a dream.¡¯ I continue the stylistic approach that I employed in my first feature "Breathless Animals" - collage images of the historical archives like the China Pictorial magazine and old black and white family photos. I hope that "Ningdu" will be a brave step for me, and a projection of the dream for those who will see it.

Director

  • LEI Lei

     

Credit

  • ProducerÀÌÀÚº§ ±Û¶ó¼§
    Isabelle GLACHANT