The Opening Night on Wednesday 24 April will travel between China and South Korea with two international premieres. The task of opening the curtain will fall to “YOLO“, the film phenomenon with which Jia Ling (director and protagonist) literally smashed the box office! Then it will be the turn of “Citizen of a Kind” by director Park Young-ju, an irresistible action comedy that revolves around a single mother, unemployed and victim of a phishing scam.
Chosen by the FEFF as the inaugural title of the twenty-sixth edition, “YOLO” is an international festival premiere and tells two stories: one that develops in the plot and one which spread with great force outside the screen, becoming a source of inspiration for millions of Chinese. A story which brings a strong message into the spotlight: it is never too late to change your life. It is never too late to believe in yourself and to fully exercise your willpower, defeating the insecurities (or fears) that prevent us from flying.
Jia Ling, who is the director and protagonist of “YOLO“, put on 20 kilos and then dropped 50 (!) to interpret Le Ying's narrative arc with the greatest possible “authenticity”: a woman, cornered by daily bitterness, who finds a way of escape and redemption by putting on boxing gloves and getting into the ring. Everything is possible, Jia Ling reminds us, and the success of “YOLO” (based on Japanese “100 Yen Love“, applauded at the FEFF in 2015) proves it: to make its way into the hearts of the Chinese, in addition to the film and the incredible skill of Jia Ling, was also the song You Only Live Once, written by Jia Ling herself.
