Contemporary Chinese Documentary Series: Meet the Director

Making Friends with Mr. Zhang (和張老師做朋友)

Asia/Hong_KongMaking Friends with Mr. Zhang (和張老師做朋友)
    Asia/Hong_KongMaking Friends with Mr. Zhang (和張老師做朋友)
      Overview

      Title:

      Making Friends with Mr. Zhang (和張老師做朋友)

      Date:

      March 21, 2015

      Venue:

      T6, Meng Wah Complex, The University of Hong Kong

      Rundown:

      5:30 pmReception
      6:00 pmFilm screening
      7:00 pmDiscussion with Diao Cao, Yi Jian and Judith Pernin

      Language:

      Film screening:Putonghua dialogue, Chinese & English subtitles
      Discussion:Putonghua & English

      Enquiry:

      (Tel) (852) 3917-5772
      (Email) ihss@hku.hk

      About the Film

      Mr. Zhang is a retired teacher living with throat cancer, and a lonely supporter of late Chairman Mao. A “revolutionist” normally must have some friends or supporters, but sadly this is precisely what Mr. Zhang does not have. He keeps looking for friends in his family, “allies” and “promisingly innocent” young students but is always disappointed in the end, until he finds Cao Diao, the director of the film, a 20-year-old student who is willing to listen, and who cares to debate about Mao after all.  This film was shot between 2013 and 2014 in Ji’an/Mt. Jinggangshan region of Jiangxi province, known as the birthplace of Mao’s Revolution. This film is one of the China Dreams Series supervised by Jian Yi.

      張老師生於1946年,是一位退休的大學教師。幾年前他被診斷出喉癌,但是仍然熱情不減地紀念毛主席。通常「革命者」需要一些朋友和支持者,可是張老師缺的就是這些。他不斷在自己的家人、同道之人和單純有希望的青年學生中尋找朋友,最後都以失望告終,直到本片導演曹雕,一位二十歲出頭大學生的出現。曹雕願意聆聽張老師,甚至願意與他辯論。本片2013 – 2014年拍攝於「革命搖籃」井岡山地區,是由簡藝監製的《中國夢》系列紀錄片之一。

      About the director

      曹雕,《和張老師做朋友》導演,青原色成長起來的青年紀錄人。她生於四川,在江西井岡山大學就讀期間接觸了青原色並且從大一開始學習紀錄工作。2011 – 2013年,她創作了《主席像》紀實攝影系列,並且在2014年大學畢業後,全職投入小城市和農村的紀錄工作中。

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