The Mulan International Film Festival (MulanIFF) is dedicated to showcasing the best of
Chinese-language films and historically significant films about China. The first edition of the
festival will be held from August 10 to August 17, 2018, in downtown Toronto. It will open with “Wrath of Silence”, a powerful drama based in Northern China by rising star director Xin Yukun, and will close with veteran actress-director Sylvia Chang's moving family story “Love Education”.
The 2018 festival consists of 17 titles from Canada, China, US and UK under three
programmes: China Retrospective, Made by Women and Portraits of the Young.
• China Retrospective features films by widely acclaimed directors that reflect the
development and changes of modern China.
• Made by Women focuses on female filmmakers and their works, as well as female
protagonists in films. This programmes is funded by the Government of Ontario.
• Portraits of the Young discovers pioneering works by emerging filmmakers.
CHINA RETROSPECTIVE
Bangzi Melody | 2017 | Zheng Dasheng | North American Premiere
• A microcosm of rural China in 1982 during the land reform with personal sufferings,
political gambling, and historical ambiguities.
“From Mao to Mozart: Isaac Stern in China”| 1979 | Murray Lerner
• A kaleidoscope of experiences and musical encounters of the American violinist Isaac
Stern during his historic trip to China.
” Whish I Knew” | 2010 | Jia Zhangke
• An oral history documentary telling the story of Shanghai, and its revolutionaries,
capitalists, politicians, soldiers, artists and gangsters.
“Last Train Home” | 2009 | Fan Lixin
• A close depiction of the “largest annual human migration on earth” during the 40-day
period around the Chinese New Year.
“Plastic China” | 2016 | Wang Jiuliang
• Plastic China explores how the work of recycling plastic waste in China takes a toll not
only on workers' health, but also their own dilemma of poverty, disease, pollution and
death.
“The Wasted Time” | 2016 | Cheng Er
• Over the course of several decades, a deal between the Japanese army and criminals in
Shanghai plays out with violence and betrayal.
“Together With You” | 2002 | Chen Kaige
• A violin prodigy and his father travel to Beijing, where the father seeks the means to his
son's success while the son struggles to accept the path laid before him.
“Around China With a Movie Camera” | 2015 | British Film Institute
• A collection of extraordinary travelogues, newsreels and home movies that explores 50
years of Chinese history from the first half of the 20th century.
MADE BY WOMEN
“Love Education” | 2017 | Sylvia Chang | Closing night | Canadian Premiere
• A moving, warm tale of three women across three generations, each “trapped in an
emotional bubble of their own”, fighting, struggling and searching for their own definition
of love.
“Girls Always Happy” | 2018 | Yang Mingming | Canadian Premiere
• A confrontation of the contemporary city life with a brand new perspective, portrays with
astonishing precision, the spectacle of mutual repulsion, hatred and harm in a single
mother-daughter relationship in a Beijing Hutong.
“Small Talk”| 2016 | Huang Hui-Chen | Toronto Premiere
• The film unfolds the difficult conversations between the filmmaker Huang Hui-Chen and
her butch lesbian mother, Ah-Nu.
“A Simple Life” | 2010 | Ann Hui
• A film producer helps care for his family's lifelong servant after she suffers a stroke and
must move into a nursing home.
“Center Stage” | 1991 | Stanley Kwan
• “Center Stage” is set during China's silent movie era and revolves around the life of the
legendary gifted actress, Ruan Lingyu. Hong Kong actress Maggie Cheung gives a
stunning performance as Ruan
PORTRAITS OF THE YOUNG
“Wrath of Slence” | 2017 | Xin Yukun | Opening night | Canadian Premiere
• Mountains and the wilderness, people lose themselves in this no man's land in search of
their blood.
“I've Got a Little problem” | 2017 | Zhang Ximing | North American Premiere
• A unique look into the biased criticism and countless problems Ren Hang, the late
internationally-celebrated photographer and poet from China, encountered in his daily
life and work, alongside his battle with depression.
“Artes Liberales” | 2018 | Chen Ceg | Canadian Premiere
• A genuine discussion of how Chinese international students perceive the liberal arts education system in the US.
“Taming the Horse” | 2017 | Gu Tao | Toronto Premiere
• A unique documentary on the Director Gu Tao's friend, Dong, a young Chinese man that
“is trying to find a way to live in a society whose values aren't the same as his”.
For more information on film synopsis, please visit our programme website here
Opening Night August 10, 2018
“Wrath of Silence”, Canadian Premiere
Director: XIN Yukun
On a chilly winter's day in Northern China, a shepherd boy roams the mountains with his herd. He walks by a slope and gazes down into the shallow creek beneath him. Two days later, miner Zhang Baomin hurries back to his home – his son has disappeared in the mountains. Three days later, lawyer Xu Wenjie's daughter disappears as well. He picks up the phone and calls the only suspect possible. Mountains and the wilderness, people lose themselves in this no man's land in search of their blood.
Closing Night August 17, 2018
“Love Education”, Canadian Premiere
Director: Sylvia Chang
Huiying (Sylvia Chang) intends to relocate her father's grave from the countryside to the city, where he could be re-buried with her mother. However, her decision sparkles a conflict with Nana (Wu Yanshu), her father's first wife. Huiying's daughter, Weiwei (Lang Yueting), caught between her mother and Nana, is turning this family dispute into a reality show on TV, but after having spent some time with Nana, she learns a new understanding of life. In this bittersweet journey, these three women of different generations, each facing her own problems in her love life, follow their hearts and embrace each other's perspectives on love.
Opening Night Guests
Song Wen 宋文, Founder, FIRST International Film Festival Xining
Li Ziwei 李子为, Co-Founder and CEO, FIRST International Film Festival Xining
Zheng Dasheng 郑大圣, Director of “Bangzi Melody” Shanghai Film Studio
Yang Jing 杨竞, Producer of “Girls Always Happy”, Beijing Trend Cultural Investment Co.
Zhang Ximing 张溪溟, Director of “I've Got a Little problem” , PARALLAX Films
Chen Ceng 陈层, Director of “Artes Liberales”, MoTone Media / Harvard Postdoc
Zhu Xiaowei 朱晓薇, Producer of “Artes Liberales”, Harvard Master of Education
Tickets go on sales today on mulanfestival.com/index.php/tickets/
About Mulan International Film Festival
The Mulan International Film Festival is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to showcasing the best of Chinese-language films and historically significant films about China. During the festival, we organize exhibitions, panel discussions, seminars and conferences on topics related to cinematic arts and artists. We aim at facilitating appreciation of Chinese cinema across Canadian communities and inspiring our audience to discuss contemporary conflicts, challenges and opportunities from a global perspective.
