FIRST International Film Festival (FIRST IFF) is dedicated to preserving the diverse voice of young filmmakers in Chinese-language cinema and offering an effective and fair evaluation standard. From the perspective of industry and art, FIRST IFF aspires to provide the explorers of cinematic art with forward-looking guidance, encouragement and companionship.
The Official Selections for Xining's Competition 2022 can be found here and three curated programmes are presented: Narrative, Short Films and Documentary.
Competition Selected – Narrative
Summer Diary (World Premiere)
Wu Shuang | 2022 | China | 90min | Fiction
During a summer holiday, Xiaohai, who lives alone in the desert with his father, becomes sick of his monotonous lifestyle and decides to go into town to find his mother and finish his composition. However, the road into town is not very smooth and the traffic is a nightmare, making his hometown a forgotten place in the world. A strange encounter with Yuanyuan reveals Xiaohai's sealed “identity”. The failed search for his mother drags him into a whirlpool of emotions. His unexpected experiences become a rich source of material for his composition which he entitles Summer Diary. In reality, he has never left the desert, but in the composition, the whole family embarks on a journey towards the sea. And in Xiaohai's imagination, his father makes the desert hometown beautiful again with his years of perseverance and devotion.
Vagrant Bebop (World Premiere)
Wang Xide | 2022 | China | 109min | Fiction
In the winter, space and time unfold in parallel in a small cafe. Seven men and women of different backgrounds meet and part from each other.
Virgin Blue (China Premiere)
Niu Xiaoyu | 2021 | China | 101min | Fiction
Since her grandfather passed away, Yezi's grandmother has been living alone at home. After her college graduation, Yezi returns home to spend her last summer vacation with her grandmother. The house is full of grandma's memories that have gradually taken on actual forms in real life. Sometimes they appear as a cat, a plant, or as a total stranger, and sometimes they manifest themselves as her grandpa or even Yezi's childhood self. Meanwhile, grandma slowly slips into the abyss of amnesia and time begins to lose all meaning. Haunted by relentless memories, Yezi finds herself wandering among fragments of her family history, where she recollects a deserted childhood and revisits her own past. One night, everyone gathers by a flower fish pond for a grand farewell. It seems to be another one of grandma's dreams. However, instead of waving goodbye to each other, all her loved ones decide to stay together.
Go Fishing (World Premiere)
Nan Xin | 2022 | China | 73min | Fiction
Li Wei, a middle-aged man living in a small town, meets Miaomiao after she walked into the wrong room during a dinner party. Miaomiao is an online friend whom he has never met in over 10 years of knowing her. Originally, Li Wei just wanted to have a meal to celebrate their friendship, but Miaomiao invited her blind date to eat at the same dinner table. After this, Li Wei becomes immersed in an emotional entanglement.
Raydio
Zhan Kaidi | 2021 | Taiwan, China | 93min | Fiction
Ray, an obsessive gambler, works as a night-shift security guard in a department store. He is desperate enough to borrow money from his ex-wife from time to time, and the only one to whom he could confide his inner sorrows is a mannequin of a shop window. Meanwhile, his son, who works in a theater company, harbors a crush on his colleague, but she herself is in love with her foreigner boyfriend. No matter how hard he works at memorizing his lines, his love for the woman of his dreams remains unrequited. Both father and son are mutually-dependent on one another, yet each is also unable to resolve the other's life dilemmas. Indeed, when they accompany each other, silently or otherwise, it is but a mere form of false support. Zhan Kaidi's feature-length debut presents two generations' desire to turn their lives around, both in terms of finances and in terms of communications with their loved ones. However, all they could really achieve is akin to going for a joyride in a car that they cannot afford.
Growing Apart (World Premiere)
Long Lingyun | 2022 | China | 90min | Fiction
18-year old Cheng Fei has been raised by his father and grandmother instead of his mother ever since he was a child. He is a rebellious youth who is very fond of skateboarding, and is determined to become a professional skateboarder. However, his father Cheng Jianguo cannot accept that. In the summer of 2007, he finds a missing person notice in his father's room. The person in the notice is his online friend “Swallowtail Butterfly”, He Sheng, who had gone missing two years ago. He disguises himself and moves in with He Sheng's mother. He later discovers the complicated relationship between the mother and daughter who live with him. The mysterious disappearance of his half sister, her eccentric mother, and the deeply hidden secrets that Cheng Fei's father kept from him shatter Cheng Fei's peaceful life in a series of dramatic events. In the fog of the two families' pasts, he gradually approaches the dusty truth that has accumulated over many years…
Gaey Wa'R aka Streetwise
Na Jiazuo | 2021 | China | 96min | Fiction
Dongzi, a young guy from a small-town, becomes the henchmen of a debt-collector, Xi Jun, in an attempt to pay off his sick father's hospital bills. The film features a cold and estranged parent-child relationship, an unsettling life on the streets, and an ambiguous relationship with a young woman. In Dongzi's shoes, this is what it is like to be 21.
The Great Distance Delivers Crane (World Premiere)
Lhapal Gya | 2022 | China | 90min | Fiction
This is a story of a Tibetan teenager seeking a habitat for a wounded black-necked crane and a home of his own inner heart.
Every Dog Has HIs Day (World Premiere)
Wang Heze | 2021 | China | 90min | Fiction
Xiao Xia is a laid-off worker from a tree farm who goes to a fortune-teller named Zhao, who is also one of her relatives, in an effort to turn her life around. On her way back home, Xiao Xia accidentally falls over. Her husband, Mantou says he's just met a new friend and that his fortunes are looking up. In the middle of the night, Xiao Xia wakes up from her dreams. This carries on for several days. In her confusion, she goes to visit Zhao again and is told that she must become a fortune-teller. Damingbai recommends Piao to Xiao Xia, and asks if she can find his friend. She promises to do this and is paid a huge sum of money. Mantou uses this money to invest in Xing's training agency (pyramid scheme). Xiao Xia makes no progress and has to give the money back to Piao. Mantou is driven into a desperate situation after being detained and tortured by Xing, and desperately tries to escape. Xiao Xia hears someone knock at home, realizing that she is still lying in the snow…
One and Four (China Premiere)
Jigme Trinley | 2021 | China | 88min | Fiction
One day in the late 1990s, a blizzard is about to strike a forest on the Tibetan Plateau. There, three uninvited guests break into a forest ranger's cabin. The ranger gets involved in a police case that involves tracking down poachers. Upon confronting the uninvited guests, the ranger cannot determine the truth, and the whole incident becomes very complicated…
A Wolf on Watch (World Premiere)
Dasung | 2022 | China | 103min | Fiction
Wang Wei, a university undergraduate and company trainee preparing for a business trip, is illegally detained by a neighbor couple with a gangster. After a night of wrangling, Wang Wei finally escapes the control of the outlaws and regains his freedom.
Farewell, My Hometown
Wang Erzhuo | 2021 | China | 86min | Fiction
In a village, a suffering grandmother heads towards the end of her life. In a modern city, a young girl has to leave her hometown and live on her own. In a small town, a middle-aged mother is living a peaceful life. They live in their own ways and have some memories from their pasts that they cannot let go of. She started to look back at those struggles between reality and ambition, love and hate. She had met many people who loved her, but all her relationships ended in sadness. The world is completely new to her and she still has a long way left to go, and an endless youth to spend. This is a story about three generations of women from a Chinese family, recalling their experiences and the changes of time over 70 years.
Guanbu A Week (World Premiere)
Lu Xiaohao | 2022 | China | 71min | Fiction
Lin Yanting is a senior-three student who coasts through all her classes every day. She skips class to meet a good friend who works part-time, and plans to give up the college entrance examination to work with her. After booking a high-speed train to Guangzhou a week later, they begin their last week in the town together…
Smartphone (World Premiere)
Xu Shen | 2021 | China | 70min | Fiction
This is a story of people and smartphones. The story takes place one night in a car. It is a monologue supported by an actor. After divorcing his wife, Lao Wu becomes an “online car hailing” driver in order to while away the time. One night, he accidentally picks up a smartphone in his car. Unexpectedly, on his way to return the smartphone, it rings constantly. To find out who the real owner is, Lao Wu almost effortlessly uses his own smartphone's “intelligence” to turn the smartphone owner into a transparent person without privacy. At the same time, during this process, he finally wakes up to the truth of his divorce.
Competition Selected – Short Films
Drowning to Become Ophelia (World Premiere)
Qu Siqin | 2021 | China | 19min | Short
The film tells the story of a 10-year-old boy's silent struggle to imitate his best friend and replace her as the model for their teacher's painting of Ophelia, in an attempt to achieve recognition and a sense of identification. In the end, he finally puts on the white dress and white pantyhose that he has been secretly yearning for, only to discover the ulterior motive behind the teacher's apparent favoritism for the girl.
The Loach (Asia Premiere)
Chen Xi | 2022 | China | 7min | Short
A woman is crying out for help from two men, with a child in her arms. But what comes next is mixed with good omen and misfortune, as well as felicity and fatality.
The Spring Breeze Kisses Me
Shu Hui | 2021 | China | 30min | Short
When Yanan, who majors in screenwriting and directing, is lost for his final year project, he returns to his hometown where his family runs a food store near manufacturing factories and middle schools. His original plan is to shoot a documentary about the life of the less-privileged youngsters in a small town. However, as his project goes on, he finds something unusual about a girl who works for his family. The ulterior yearning deep in his heart begins to unfold…
A Dog under Bridge (China Premiere)
Tang Lihao | 2022 | China | 12min | Short
In a humorous way, the film is presented from the point of view of the “dog” to portray the resignation of “me” seeing the conflicts between humans and life.
The First Taste (World Premiere)
Fang Xitong | 2022 | China | 16min | Short
It was a boring summer holiday, and Bao stayed at grandpa's house. Once on the way back from grocery shopping, a sudden idea from grandpa aroused Bao's excitement. They planned to secretly pick the osmanthus along the wayside. When they were caught stealing the flowers, she left grandpa and ran away alone. That night, grandpa came home with two bags of osmanthus, but she didn't know how to face grandpa.
The Way Winter Comes (World Premiere)
Wang Zichen | 2022 | China | 15min | Short
This is a story about a solitary and wild boy with a hearing disorder who lives in the village. On one of the dull days during his youth, he decided to sneak into someone's house and steal, which led to his later encounters. On that very “ordinary” day, he felt more lonely than ever…
How I Grew Up
Liu Yufei | 2021 | China | 7min | Short
There are many unobserved emotions in us. In this film, “I” has a feeling of fear of being doubted by others because of a cup of coffee that has not been thrown away. The whole film revolves around the observation of this emotion. By depicting four trivial events that happen when “I” is growing up, we trace the reasons for the formation of the emotion. Finally, “I” sees what the emotion exactly looks like.
Broken Potato
Shui Yuan | 2021 | China | 7min | Short
With booms coming one after another, several large holes suddenly appeared in the town. No one knew what the holes were and where these came from. Curiosity seekers were swarming all over the town, and everyone tried to take advantage of these holes to do what they wanted all the time.
The secret of my birth
Li Jing | 2022 | China | 30min | Short
Living in a tropical coastal town of Southern China, an 11-year-old girl hides her secret deep in her heart, just like the roaring waves hidden beneath the sea. After the introduction of the two-child policy, Lily, the only child in her family, suddenly discovers on her birthday that her parents are expecting a second baby without her knowledge. Moreover, with a privately tested gender identification, the baby is believed to be a boy. In the humid and cicadas-associated summer, a “vicious” idea makes its way into Lily's mind, and she starts a plan to “kill her brother”…
A Passing Cloud (World Premiere)
Tang Peiyan | 2022 | China | 14min | Short
While working as a rideshare driver to support her family, Zhao Mei gives a lift to a high school student, Yu Yiyi. On the way to their destination, they talk to each other like they know one another. They are neither mother and daughter, nor passenger and driver. The relationship between the two ladies is gradually revealed during this journey…
MUI
Huang Rongjun | 2021 | Macao, China | 8min | Short
During a short trip, a young man faces his grandma's non-stop nagging, and horrible memories emerge in his mind. The unhappy conjunction of the past and the present makes him suffer.
Homones (World Premiere)
Yang Chenning | 2021 | China | 20min | Short
Early summer in a small town, the proliferation of hormones ripens waxberry fruit, at the same time spawning an intimate relationship between two girls. As the midsummer approaches, the bitter-sweet feelings gradually melt into a stain of purple mark.
Southern afternoon (World Premiere)
Lan Tian | 2022 | China | 15min | Short
Saramu, a Uyghur father living in Southern China, accidentally discovers that his 14-year-old elder daughter has possibly received a love letter. Desperate to resolve his doubt but unable to read Chinese mandarin, Saramu can only ask his younger daughter for help to read him the letter.
Meal on the Plate (Asia Premiere)
Xie Chenglin | 2021 | China | 7min | Short
Somewhere in the world, people start to turn into their favorite food. They grow fish tails, pig noses, as well as cow and goat horns. It is true that you are what you eat. The arrival of a newcomer seems to bring some changes, but things start to get out of control.
I Have No Legs, and I Must Run (Asia Premiere)
Li Yue | 2022 | China | 14min | Short
This is a short story about a short-distance runner. With track running as the starting point, he spends his youth running. He is like a tireless machine, running back and forth on the sports track. He has the same dream as other athletes, wishing to run faster, searching for his limits, and pursuing the impossible. However, as time goes by, his body is unable to support his profession. At that time, a high-spirited and vigorous freshman joins the team, reminding him of himself many years ago. The freshman is so athletic and vigorous that he even claims to break the hero's short-distance running record. With regret intertwined with agony, the hero loses direction in life. If he cannot run anymore, where will his journey take him next?
Daughter and son (World Premiere)
Cheng Yu | 2022 | China | 30min | Short
Degenerate sons and daughters, Life is too strong for you – It takes life to love Life.
Déjà Rêvé (World Premiere)
Lu Xiaomeng | 2022 | China | 13min | Short
This is a story about a medieval nobleman lost in the woods and out of water, deciding to ask a peasant passing by for some water to quench his thirst.
Perfect City: The Mother (China Premiere)
Zhou Shengwai | 2022 | China | 12min | Short
This is a story about the perfect universe. Lured by Perfect Spray, a wood mother tries to carve her root baby into a human doll.
Kids of Paradise (China Premiere)
Sha Mo | 2021 | China | 13min | Short
The forgotten kids of paradise stage a crazy noir fable.
The Morning Sun
Li Zexi | 2021 | China | 10min | Short
It is an ordinary night for an ordinary family. The children who are afraid of the night seem to have grown up, and the parents who are busy making a living seem to be happier. Most of our lives are slowly made up of these inconspicuous little transitions.
The Thing with Feathers (World Premiere)
Xu Tianlin | 2022 | Germany | 20min | Short
An Iranian-Afghan family's life in Germany can be solely seen through their hands. Iranian doctor Maryam came with her family to Germany for asylum two years ago. She sticks to a strict daily studying routine, hoping to return to her medical career, while her husband Hossain takes care of their baby at home. On this day, Hossain has a job interview at a photo studio, and Maryam, who has to look after her child by herself, has to reschedule her day.
The Blessing (Asia Premiere)
Liu Ziyao | 2022 | China | 6min | Short
This is a story of a Chinese student studying abroad in the United States who cannot attend her mother's wedding in China due to the pandemic, struggling to record a video to send her blessings.
Competition Selected – Documentary
Trashy Boy (World Premiere)
Zheng Yifei | 2022 | China | 97min | Documentary
Big Sponge is a young man living in a small town in western China who long ago left school and his parents, and struck out on his own. He wanders the streets, aimlessly getting through one long night after another. When he has a good mood, he will simply sing songs he likes. He lives a free but lonely life. Big Sponge loves rap music and he has great musical talent. He spreads his joys and disappointments in his music, but reality does not allow him to live a unique and successful life. He fell in love with a girl on the Internet, but she rejected him for being obese. His wandering life is finally out of control. Later, he was involved in a theft and served with a lawsuit. The pressure from the court case and the difficulties in life made it impossible for him to bear his current life any longer. In order to win a chance for his life, he begins to make some changes.
Hei Qi (World Premiere)
Zhang Ping | 2021 | China | 101min | Documentary
My parents live in a mountain village, whose name is like a spell and is unknown to the outsiders. Here, my father is walking towards the end of his life. The shadow of death shows another aspect of life. The dead family members reunite with the living ones. When death comes, the body as a container gradually opens, and the gate of a synesthesia world opens.
Parkland of Decay and Fantasy (Asia Premiere)
Zhu Chenliang | 2022 | China | 104min | Documentary
If at the moment of death, the last obsession in life will become the last thing to exist, and the quality of the soul will be transmitted to unknown dimensions in waves, like text messages sent from mobile phones; then the abandoned amusement park on an unknown island in China will receive the waves from different dimensions like a signal tower, creating a subtle resonance with its residents who still live a hard life. Looking only at the desolation today, it is hard to imagine that it was once a Xanadu for entertainment and consumption, or a paradise for underground art. It is a microcosm of society and a special case.
Wild Ball (World Premiere)
Li Hongquan | Ding Beichen | 2022 | China | 89min | Documentary
Lee Benson is a legendary basketball player in China, known as the “Basketball King in Prison” as he missed the NBA due to his imprisonment. He is known to be short-tempered and difficult to deal with, but that does not stop him from creating unbreakable records in the CBA games. After he retires from CBA, he starts to play self-organized basketball games, also known as ‘wild ball', in the villages of China where the local bosses will pay lots of money to invite well-known players. By playing wild ball, Lee is able to earn 2–3 million yuan a year. However, as his skills deteriorate, the negative side of wild ball begins: the bosses stop paying him, and some agents scam his money. For his career, family, and dignity, is he going to roll the dice or go with the flow?
Long Live the Soul (World Premiere)
Yang Hao | 2022 | China | 85min | Documentary
In 2020, “short video + livestreaming” has become a new and hot trend in the e-commerce industry. In Yiwu City of Zhejiang Province, there were no top internet celebrities, but with the “9.9 yuan, free postage” offer model, countless grassroots from the bottom were suddenly attracted. Yiwu was then known as “the paradise for grassroots counterattacks”. Mr. Guan is a “grassroots director” who shoots short videos to sell products in Yiwu. “Besides showing you the source of the products, I will also introduce you to the spiritual world of the small characters in China through the products”, he said. Unlike the mainstream model and short-video shooting style of “9.9 yuan, free postage” in Yiwu, he had a dream of becoming “Stephen Chow of Tik Tok in China”. However, as time went on, his ideal blueprint became elusive after the invasion of capitalists. Being lost, he tried to find another way out. To pursue a spiritual world or monetize traffic and gain wealth, which will be his next step?
