On Thursday 2 May the legendary Chinese director received the Golden Mulberry and hosted a masterclass.
The last two days are packed with unmissable titles: from cult Philippine comedy Becky and Badette
to the world premiere of high-octane Hong Kong actioner Customs Frontline!
A whole year of preparation for nine days of programming: nine joyful, intense days which, once the countdown starts, slip away at the speed of light... Yes, it's already time to announce the Closing Night of FEFF 26. Actually, scratch that - it's already time to announce the Closing Day, because the flames will be burning brightly right from the morning. And what flames they'll be. Thursday the 2nd of May 2024 is more than just a space on the calendar: it's the date when Zhang Yimou will be taking the stage at the Teatro Nuovo “Giovanni da Udine” theatre!
When we talk about him, we're talking about a legend - an auteur around whom there is a "before" and an "after". Talking about him means talking about two Golden Lions in Venice, a Golden Bear in Berlin, a Grand Prix in Cannes and three Oscar nominations - and that's not even all. Talking about him means talking about the giant of cinema who on Thursday the 2nd of May will be receiving the Golden Mulberry Lifetime Achievement Award on the stage of the Teatro Nuovo "Giovanni da Udine" theatre and will also be hosting a masterclass which will be open to all!
“For us,” say FEFF founders Sabrina Baracetti and Thomas Bertacche, “Zhang Yimou's cinema represents two absolutely fundamental turning points. The first was the one that opened our eyes to the cinematic wonders of mainland China when we were little more than kids. The second is that it was one of the sparks, one of the driving forces, which first brought our festival to life! That's why presenting Zhang Yimou with the Golden Mulberry means something more than just recognition of his genius: it's also our way of saying "Thank you, maestro" and of symbolically giving him back some of what he has given to us."
A leading member of the "Fifth Generation", the famously creative group of filmmakers who revolutionised the aesthetics of 1980s China, Zhang Yimou has always pursued a free and total vision of cinema, identifying his own personal aesthetic in the push towards change. A cinema that, without ever surrendering its auteur essence and thematic depth, manages to use the most diverse languages, expressing itself through, and above all going beyond, genres: from rural drama and wuxia to period thrillers and big budget blockbusters. A cinema where individual stories have always been and continue to be a cultural, ethical and political mirror of collective history.
Over the years the FEFF has documented the nuances of Zhang Yimou's gaze multiple times (Red Sorghum, Under the Hawthorn Tree, Cliff Walkers and Full River Red were all screened in Udine) and will be doing so again this year with the presentation of three titles: thriller Under the Light (Wednesday the 1st of May at 14:30) and the world premiere of the restored versions of Raise the Red Lantern (Thursday the 2nd of May at 9:30, as a prelude to the masterclass) and To Live (Thursday the 2nd of May at 19:30
For our 55th edition (12 to 21 April 2024), we will have the honour of welcoming French director Alice Diop to its Atelier. Alice Diop is one of France's leading fiction and non-fiction filmmakers. Her aim is to question French society from the margins, and she has distinguished herself due to her determination to give substance to unique journeys, exploring the personal to access the universal. The Festival is delighted to announce a Masterclass on 13 April from the artist, who represented France at the Oscars in 2023, as well as a complete retrospective of her films.
This invitation is offered in collaboration with HEAD – Geneva.
Alice Diop's work explores geographical areas that are still largely absent from most cinema screens. Focusing in particular on the department of Seine-Saint-Denis, on the outskirts of the French capital, where the filmmaker grew up, Alice Diop offers "a trace" – a memory of the lives of suburban inhabitants. It deconstructs the collective imagination that clings to these territories, which are often described from an outside perspective, and whose representations are constantly reduced to anxiety-provoking news footage. Recognised with numerous awards, the coherence of her work gives a voice to communities that are often ignored or even silenced, exploring the personal to access the universal. It is a deeply political approach that also documents French institutional violence – both physical and symbolic.
Woven with references, Alice Diop’s work brings together a variety of devices that draw on the history of both cinema and literature. Viewed through the prism of the banality of human existence, these observations find expression in diverse settings, from journeys on the RER, to conversations outside betting shops, to preparing meals in the kitchen. Imbued with a faux simplicity (in-camera, real-time, documentary essay), her work transforms the suburbs into a testing ground that is at once cinematographic, semantic and sociological. The political dimension of everyday life is stripped back to an almost excruciating degree, using an artistic approach that is as reflective as it is powerful.
More about Alice Diop
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