79 minutes / Color
Mandarin / English subtitles
Release: 2019
Copyright: 2016
DVD includes two related short films, LATE SUMMER and THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS.
OF SHADOWS is set in the unique landscape of China’s Loess Plateau, where the shadow play, as an enigmatic art form, has entertained people and deities for centuries. The film follows a lively and resilient group of shadow play performers as they navigate between the rural staging of ancient plays and the urban spectacle of national cultural heritage.
The film starts when the local performers in a small county called Huanxian are gathered to rehearse for the region’s shadow theatre festival. The performance of modern cultural preservation is contemplated, as the folk artists move towards a grand stage. Meanwhile, the filmmaker follows the same group of performers into mountain villages where the shadow play theatre serves local life. A poetic picture of the folk artists unfolds as their everyday life and performance meander through light and shadow.
By juxtaposing the rural and the urban, the grassroots and the official, the state and the local, the light and the shadow, the film paints a haunting portrait of a revered folk tradition transforming against the backdrop of a country in constant transition. OF SHADOWS goes beyond the melancholy over the decline of traditional culture and searches for the resilience and vitality in the grassroots and the folklore. This poetic ethnography continues the filmmaker’s pursuit for the rhythmic flow in cinematic medium - meanings are conveyed not only through narrative threads but also through the musicality.
“With this feature debut, Cui shows a remarkable sense of contemplation, composure, and control in depicting her subjects’ struggle to keep abreast of social changes.” —Clarence Tsui, Film Quarterly
“Captivating. A moving dispatch on the imperiled existence (and stubborn endurance) of a wondrous artistic tradition.” —Chris Kennedy, TIFF Cinematheque
“Dreamlike and amusing, the film reflects on the schizophrenia of contemporary China.” —Brigitte Duzan, Chinese Movies
“Full of imposing vitality.” —Ling Zhang, Ta Kung Pao
“A thoughtful meditation on the evolution of an ancient art.” —Caotide, L’emergere Del Possibile
“Subtle and timeless.” —Mónica Delgado, DesistFilm
“My favourite Chinese documentary of the year.” —Wood Lin, Funscreen
"An engrossing exploration of folk art kept alive through determined and passionate performers." — Adam Symchuk, Asian Movie Pulse
Select Accolades
LATE SUMMER captures a centuries-old Beijing theatre in its incarnation as a modern-day transient space.
Yi Cui | 2016 | 13 minutes | Color | Mandarin | English subtitles
One evening in the 1980s, Qiu Fu, a leading clown-role actor in 20th-century Sichuan opera, is killed in an accident and must reluctantly set off for the Ghost City.
QIU Jiongjiong | 2022 | 180 minutes | Color | Mandarin | English subtitles
On a high-land Tibetan pasture, a screening event unfolds quietly. Monks, herdsmen and their families gather by the screen to observe life captured through their own lenses.
Yi Cui | 2017 | 15 minutes | Color | Mandarin | English subtitles
