Karamay
China • 5h 55m
Directed by XU Xin • Documentary • 2012 • 356 minutes
In 1994, the oil-rich city of Karamay in Northwest China was the site of a horrible fire that killed nearly 300 schoolchildren. The students were performing for state officials and were told to stand by while the officials exited first. After the fire, the story was heavily censored in the Chinese state media. To this day, the families of Karamay have not been allowed to publicly mourn their children.
In KARAMAY, filmmaker Xu Xin helps a community break the silence nearly two decades after their tragedy. The film is structured around a series of first-person accounts from families, teachers and survivors, interspersed with rare archival footage. Each narrative represents a complete and self-contained story in which the subjects recount their reaction to the carnage and how it colored their view of nation, society, education, law, party institutions and human nature. The result is "a landmark in journalistic diligence and a dedicated act of commemoration and healing" (Michael Fox, SF Weekly).
Up Next in China
-
Only Cloud Knows
Directed by Xiaogang Feng • Drama • With Xuan Huang, Caiyu Yang, Fan Yu • 2019 • 132 minutes
After the death of his wife, a man decides to retrace their steps from the past, looking to reconnect with old friends and make right promises he made before her death.
"What could have been rather mour...
-
Suburban Birds
Directed by QIU sheng • Drama • With Yihao Chen, Zhihao Chen, Jing Deng • 2018 • 118 minutes
A striking debut from China’s Qiu Sheng, SUBURBAN BIRDS is a tantalizing mystery and a bittersweet coming-of-age comedy rolled into one. Hao (Mason Lee) is part of a team of young engineers called in to ...
-
Battle of Memories
Directed by Leste Chen • Drama • With Bo Huang, Jinglei Xu, Yihong Duan, Zishan Yang • 2017 • 120 minutes
When a famous writer (Huang Bo) decides to have his memories wiped to forget a divorce, he regrets it. Attempting to recover the memories, he becomes haunted by psychopathic thoughts, acting...
