Programs
An Unfinished Film
Special Screenings
© Yingfilms Pte. Ltd.,
Introduction
Singapore, Germany / 2024 / 107 min
Director：LOU Ye
The film begins in 2019, when an inactive computer activates after 10 years. Inside, there is an unfinished film, and the director reaches out to the lead actor suggesting resuming the production. Although hesitant for a variety of reasons, the lead joins the crew as they prepare for the shoot before the Chinese New Year in January 2020. The news on COVID lockdown starts to spread shortly after production started, and a few cast members decide to leave. Soon the entire hotel is forced into lockdown, leaving the actor and crew trapped in their rooms… This docu-fiction illustrates a film crew that reunites to complete a queer film that remained unfinished. The process of making the film and surviving the pandemic intersects by a scene in which the production is interrupted by the spread of a virus, and everyone is quarantined in a hotel. From there, the boundary between fiction and reality blurs even more, yet the overflowing sincerity and truthfulness is the essence of this film. The film was shown as a special screening at the Cannes Film Festival.
Director：LOU Ye
Born in Shanghai in 1965. He studied animation at the Shanghai School of Fine Arts and then filmmaking at the Beijing Film Academy.
His debut film, WEEKEND LOVER (1994), was banned for two years in China. He attracted international acclaim with his second feature SUZHOU RIVER (2000), which won the Tiger Award at the International Film Festival Rotterdam. It too was banned in China. The film, now considered a classic of modern Chinese cinema, was restored in 4K in 2021, under the supervision of Lou Ye himself, working from the original 16mm A-B negative.
His next three films: PURPLE BUTTERFLY (2003), SUMMER PALACE (2006), and SPRING FEVER (2009) were all selected in Competition at Cannes. His Paris-set film LOVE AND BRUISES (2011) premiered at the Venice International Film Festival. Ye returned to Cannes with MYSTERY (2012), which was selected for Un Certain Regard. BLIND MASSAGE (2014) premiered in Competition in Berlin and won the Silver Bear for Outstanding Artistic Contribution. THE SHADOW PLAY (2018) premiered at the Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival. SATURDAY FICTION (2019) was selected in Competition at Venice.
Schedule
11/24（Sun）19:05 -
Marunouchi TOEI
Guest
LOU Ye （Director）
11/29（Fri）15:45 -
Marunouchi TOEI