Forward Future
Love Found Love Lost, Winner of the Jury Special Mention in the Forward Future Section, is Opening in Theaters Nationwide on May 19
The film Love Found Love Lost, winner of the Jury Special Mention in the 12th BJIFF Forward Future Section, is set to be released in theaters nationwide on May 19. Produced by renowned director Yang Chao, written and directed by rising director Li Songming, starring Ye Qisheng, Ci Wantong, Zhang Guanfei and Chen Banghui, the film posted its final trailer and poster recently.
Featuring a narrative structure of “story within a story” and “memory maze”, the film presents the intimate relationship between Xinggui, the male protagonist, and three generations of women (i.e. his girlfriend, mother and grandmother) in “two places” (Beijing and his hometown Guizhou), especially the emotions and memories, reality and dreams. It has been hailed by many film fans as “a touching masterpiece full of sincerity and ingenuity”.
▍Reconstructing intimate relationship across time and space, director Li Songming pays tribute to his grandmother
The debut feature film written and directed by young director Li Songming is semi-autobiographical. Paraplegic and bedridden, Xinggui, causes conflict against his girlfriend Xiaojie, who takes good care of him, and his mom during his rehabilitation. He then goes back to hometown. Together with his old grandma, his girlfriend and mom that get in later, they find love and memories in the confusing maze of time and space. Ye Qisheng, known as “musical prince”, and young actress Ci Wantong play Xinggui and his girlfriend Xiaojie respectively. Director Li Songming’s mom Chen Banghui and grandma Zhang Guanfei in her late eighties play the “mom” and “grandma”. His grandma passed away shortly after the filming was completed, leaving the film in memory of his loved ones. The audience was said to be touched by Zhang Guanfei’s vivid performance during its screening at the BJIFF. They spoke highly of her, such as “Grandma’s so cute”, and “she’s the most beautiful grandma”.
Despite short, the final trailer gives us hints about various relationship stories of the three generations of women. Full of characteristics of the era, strong emotions, realistic dilemmas and contradictions that provoke speculation, the film reveals uncertainty in emotions and memories between past and present, and fiction and reality in the temporally and spatially reconstructed context. The poster highlights the sleeping grandma with a dream of relatives and landscape in hometown in the background, reflecting director Li Songming’s message in creating the film: an homage to grandma.
Final trailer
▍Winner of Jury Special Mention with full support of producer Yang Chao
It took approximately five years from screenplay writing to filming and post production. Yang Chao, renowned director and Silver Bear Award winner at the Berlin International Film Festival for the Crosscurrent, served as producer of the film with “one-yuan compensation”, and fully supported the young director’s works. After the production was completed, the film won titles and recognition at multiple film festivals, such as the Jury Special Mention in the 12th BJIFF Forward Future Section, Debut Spotlight at the 15th FIRST International Film Festival, Best Screenplay in the Competition Section-Feature Film of the 8th Chongqing Youth Film Festival, “Annual New Special Mention” at the 16th Chinese Youth Film Week and Pioneer Award of opening film at the 4th Chongqing Pioneer Art Film Festival. Many film fans appreciate the film’s “sincere emotions”, “cleverly set time and space”, “well done, grandma”, “the best film in my view”, “the most moving film of the year”, and “sincere emotions worth repeated viewing”, and said, “miss my grandma”, and “the grandma healed my anxiety” after watching the film. Meanwhile, they acclaimed director’s “candidness and bravery” for creation based on himself.
The film Love Found Love Lost wins the Jury Special Mention in the 12th BJIFF Forward Future Section
According to director Li Songming, he “wrote and filmed Love Found Love Lost while he got sick and recovered”. He wishes to “reconcile with myself in the past and memory” through this semi-autobiographical film, and more importantly, pay tribute to his grandma who passed away shortly after the filming was completed. It’s known that the “hometown” part was filmed at director’s hometown Bijie, Guizhou. The film fully presents the breathtaking scenic view of Guizhou.
Let’s go to cinema and return to hometown on May 19.