Ji Dan
2021Dream of the Empty City
Ji Dan
An old man in hospice care tells his life story from beginning to end, of Peking Opera and singer Ma Lianliang, and of the humiliation and desperation of old age. Soon, the border between dreams and memories, reality and mental confusion become indistinct; the old man is slipping away, falling into the depths of his soul. Is it the shadow of death that disturbs his rest? Who is he? What kind of life did he lead?
Dream of the Empty City
贡布的幸福生活
Ji Dan
There are various pressures in Kampot's life. For example, he hopes that his wife will help him to have a son after six consecutive daughters; he is upset by the bank loan he owes for buying a tractor, and he is also worried about working outside. The son was not disappointed with the big money ... However, Kampot will not be overwhelmed by these troubles. Because life brought him many good friends, pleasant sunshine and quiet nights, under the blue clouds of the Tibetan plateau, spring harvest and autumn harvest, occasionally drinking and gambling with friends, and chanting songs, although the days are not rich, but they can find fun. When his wife finally gave birth to another son, Kampot gratefully praised nature and life from the bottom of his heart.
Gongbu’s Happy Life
老人们
Su Qing, Ji Dan
In the mid-1980s, a dozen old people in Old Latse Village in Shigatse, Tibet, voluntarily organized the reconstruction of the Gyang Temple, which was destroyed in the Cultural Revolution. With the assistance of villagers, the reconstruction took 10 years. In 1995, they had admitted new members and founded a Mani Association. These old people chant Mani collectively for three days every month. In addition, following the ancient practice in the village, they pray for the safety of the villagers by piously worshiping the gods and making offerings to ghosts. But their ultimate purpose is to support any member to complete their final life journey by organizing a vigil and attending his or her funeral.
The Elders
Spiral Staircase of Harbin
Ji Dan
On a hill in Harbin in China's Heilongjiang Province in the director's hometown, a girl neglects her exam preparation in favor of drawing pictures, and her mother wants her to study. Below the hill, a couple is unable to say anything to their son who is always playing with his friends. The feelings of these powerless parents blend with the atmosphere of an unforgiving modern society.
Spiral Staircase of Harbin
危巢
Ji Dan
Ji Dan’s documentary about the daughters of a dirt-poor family living among Beijing scrap heaps, and their ferocious determination to get an education, is exhilarating, heart breaking, life affirming, shocking, despairing and ecstatic, all at once.
When the Bough Breaks
处罚
Ji Dan
The time capacity of video works is different. In terms of rhythm and structure, the author will also have different considerations. What is the possibility of image language and self-expression? Director Ji Dan focuses on communicating her own experience and feelings with us.
Penalties
芭雅
Ji Dan
Paia means old grandmother in Duan dialect of Zhuang language. I know that the Paya in the film was at a lecture about left-behind children at Pudao Caotang Bookstore in Nanluogu Lane, Beijing. The small hall of the bookstore is full of people. I can only squeeze in a corner where I cannot see the presenter and the screen. After listening to the lecture and Q & A for nearly two hours. The presenter, Dr. Zhao Junchao, is an associate researcher at the Development Research Center of the State Council. He conducted a survey in Duan, Guangxi for five years and published the book "A Survey of Left-behind Children in China." I was originally interested in "left-behind children", but in his story, an old lady attracted me: she lost six of her seven sons, and she supported the orphans left by the six or seven sons.
Paia