‘End of Summer’ (Xi Xiao He De Xia Tian), directed by Zhou Quan
Chinese film ‘End of Summer’ has been selected as one of the first ten titles selected for competition at the 22nd Busan International Film Festival in October.
The 2017 family drama by emerging director Zhou Quan was the winner of HAF Award at the 13th Hong Kong-Asia Film Financing Forum in 2015 and was Zhou’s feature debut. This time the film will play in the showcase New Currents section which is reserved for up and coming Asian film makers.
‘End of Summer’ is one of four from the Greater China region that has made the list, joining ‘Somewhere Beyond The Mist’ from Hong Kong, ‘The Last Verse’ and ‘One Night on the Wharf’ from Taiwan.
The film tells the intertwining, coming-of-age stories of a fifth-grade boy, a middle-aged Chinese teacher and an old man in a Chinese small town in 1998. It stars Zhang Songwen, Tan Zhuo, Gu Baoming, and Dong Jing.
6 other titles also to screen and compete in the New Currents section are from India, Iran and host nation South Korea.
One of Asia’s most prestigious film events, the festival will run from October 12th to the 22nd in the southeast Korean city of Busan. Competition categories also include Gala Presentation, a celebration of 2017’s most talked-about filmmakers, and A Window on Asian Cinema which provides a peek into cinematographic styles and visions in Asia.
Busan International Film Festival founder Kim Dong-Ho and festival director Kang Soo-Youn are stepping down after this year’s edition, the two officials said in a statement last month. The announcement follows an open letter from festival staff calling for the return of ousted fest director Lee Yong-Kwan.
The Festival lost half of its government funding after it screened a controversial documentary last year which criticised the government’s response to the 2014 Sewol ferry disaster which occurred when now disgraced former president Park Geun-hye was in power.
Meanwhile, Chinese virtual reality short film ‘The Dream Collector’, which is about an elderly dream collector and his beloved dog, was officially selected to compete in the Venice Film Festival’s VR section.
Additional reporting Amber Ziye Wang
