Panorama
Opening Film | Dwelling by the West Lake Cherishes the Real World over Wild Illusions
The 14th Beijing International Film Festival (BJIFF) is opening with director Gu Xiaogang’s latest film Dwelling by the West Lake.
Poster of Dwelling by the West Lake
As a sequel to director Gu Xiaogang’s aesthetic film project–“landscape painting film series” (following Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains), the film Dwelling by the West Lake marks his new step towards the exploration of translating visual aesthetics of Chinese landscape paintings into films.
The film features art direction by Chen Jianbin, production by Chen Caiyun and music by Shigeru Umebayashi. It’s the contemporary version of “Mulian Rescues His Mother” (in Buddhism). Husband He Shan went missing for 10 years. Tai Hua (played by Jiang Qinqin) gets caught in despair. She’s kicked out of a tea garden by the mother of her lover (played by Chen Jianbin), and then fooled into a fraud organization named “Butterfly International” by her closest friend Jinlan. She feels transformed like a “newborn”. Mulian, her son, feels frustrated in search of his missing father while rescuing his mom. When Tai Hua indulges herself in the dream like a butterfly, Mulian tries to wake her up at any costs.
Still of Dwelling by the West Lake
Director Gu Xiaogang is closely tied with the BJIFF.
Back in 2018, director Gu Xiaogang entered his project Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains at the BJIFF Project Pitches, and won the Special Award at the 8th BJIFF. The project also won the “International Promotion Award” by the BJIFF Organizing Committee.
The film had its global premiere at the Festival de Cannes in 2019 as the closing film of La Semaine de la Critique. It’s fair to say his career has been skyrocketing since a good start off the BJIFF. Gu Xiaogang was awarded the Kurosawa Akira Award at the 36th Tokyo International Film Festival in 2023, which makes him the pride of young Chinese directors.
10th BJIFF Young Filmmakers Salon
In addition to comeback with his latest Dwelling by the West Lake, Gu Xiaogang is appointed as jury of the Forward Future. The Forward Future Section intends to “discover new filmmakers around the globe in China’s view and encourage originals on the new wave of films in the world”. The same goes with the story of director Gu Xiaogang. He debuted at the BJIFF. Now, he’s devoted to discovering new forces, and contributing to the circular system of film festivals and exhibitions for filmmaking talent training.
Jury Gu Xiaogang, Forward Future Jury
The BJIFF is like a lush offshore island: courageous wave riders come and plant their new seeds, which assimilate nutrients, sprout and grow, and flow into the vast ocean along the wave of opportunities.
Eventually, mature and poised, they return to the island that always welcomes them, feeding, amazing and enriching it. The screening of Dwelling by the West Lake fully represents a virtuous cycle of newcomer filmmaker “starting off” at the BJIFF and “coming back” to the BJIFF.
Moreover, leading actor of the film, young actor Wu Lei, is an old friend of the BJIFF. He served as the Youth Publicity and Promotion Ambassador of the 13th BJIFF, and made appearance in BJIFF’s themed short film The Big Order in Spring, contributing his share of encouragement for the first spring of China’s film industry since its reopening. What pleasant surprises would he bring to us in the opening film?
Still of the 13th BJIFF themed short film The Big Order in Spring
Dwelling by the West Lake was released theatrically on April 3. The BJIFF invites you to enjoy the film in cinema, and embrace the real world after going through wild illusions.
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