Asian Cinema Fund

ACF Asian Cinema Fund

Asian Network of Documentary(AND) Fund

2012 Asian Network of Documentary (AND) Fund

LIST Stone Town

Category	Busan Bank Fund
Project	Stone Town
Director	GUO Jing, KE Dingding
Country	China
Director's Profile	GUO Jing and KE Dingding began to work together as documentary filmmakers in 2002, and they completed five feature length films: Fruitful Summer (2003), Circus School (2006), All About My Friends (2007), First Period (2010), When My Child Is Born (2010). They have become one of the most famous and important documentary filmmakers in China. Their films have been selected by many international film festivals and they have won awards, such as Joris Ivens and SCAM awards of Cinema du Reel, Best Director Award of FICCO, Grand Jury’s Award of Shanghai International TV festival, and many others. And their projects have been supported by ITVS, BBC, NHK, DR and other broadcasters.

Synopsis: This film is about the absurd lives of two men in a secluded fishing village. Its Chinese title "醉生??死"（Intoxicated Life ~ Dreaming Death) gives a literal interpretation of the story: one man lives the life of a drunkard, while the other dreams about death. The fishery resources of China Sea were exhausted by these fishermen’s elder generation. What they could do now is to build bigger ships and hire workers to poach. The local men live for alcohol and women. Huang is one of them. He never questions about what is wrong with their life. He doesn′t care to tell the right from the wrong, nor does he ever get self-critical. Chen, however, perhaps knows the answer. He knows the despair of this era. In his guessing, the only way to escape is through death. This is the real life in China.

Director's Note: We are compelled to tell the story of this beautiful old village. Stone Town is not different from any other place in China, and its stories are echoed throughout the country. China is wandering through an impossible period at the moment. An outsider may never understand what is going on. Even ourselves are just on the way, moving along without daring to look back and examine the absurd life in an absurd nation. This is not a film about desperation. What we want to tell the audience is that it is not our wish to endorse this kind of life. We want to say ‘No’ to a life of zombies. It is time we made some changes, and let the first one be about ourselves.

LIST