FILMOPTION INTERNATIONAL
 
Summary
Staff
Films
News
MY FATHER'S JOURNEY (MON PÈRE ET SA MÉLANCOLIE)
SALES All rights, World DISTR Theatrical, TV, DVD-video, VOD, Airline, World, CANADA
 
More Information

Completed - CHINESE, ENGLISH, FRENCH - Documentary - 78 minutes

Log Line

My Father’s Journey explores how an individual of 82 years of age built his own spiritual castle to protect himself and his frail yet precious culture against constant political upheavals and the assimilation of the dominant Chinese modern culture.

Year of production : 2020

Director(s) : Xiaodan HE
Writer(s) : Xiaodan HE
Producer(s) : Xiaodan HE (Red Dawn Productions)

Synopsis

Chongren He was born in 1936, in Li Jiang, a small town close to the border of Tibet. He is a descendent of the Naxi, one of the fifty-six Chinese minorities which has a population of 300,000. What makes the Naxi unique is their ancient Dongba culture preserved through the millenary pictographic writing. This particular pictogram is the only living one in use today and is called the “living fossil”. What makes the Naxi unique is their ancient Dongba culture preserved through the millenary pictographic writing. This particular pictogram is the only living one in use today and is called the “living fossil”.

Besieged by the constant political upheavals and the assimilation of the dominant Chinese modern culture, he currently lives in a small village similar to an isolated island surrounded by endless waves of tourists. This film explores how an individual of 82 years of age can build his own spiritual castle to protect himself and his frail yet precious culture.

Production

Country(ies) : CANADA

Festivals and Awards

Rendez-vous Québec Cinéma 2020 (Official Competition)
The International Festival of Films on Art (FIFA) 2021 (Official Selection)
Seoul International Short Film Festival 2021 (Official Selection)
International Festival of Ethnological Film 2021 (Official Selection)
Toronto Indie Filmmakers Festival 2021 (Official Selection)
Toronto Documentary Feature & Short Film Festival 2022 (Official Selection)
Montreal International History Film Festival 2022 (Official Selection)


If any information seems out of date, let us know