To Live To Sing
A Film by Johnny Ma
2019 - France/China - Drama - 1.78 - 100 min.
with Zhao Xiaoli , Gan Guidan & Yan Xihu
Language: Chinese
Produced by Vincent Wang & Jing Wang
Zhao Li is the manager of a small Sichuan Opera troupe, living and performing together in a rundown theatre located in the outskirts of Chengdu, China. When she receives the notice of demolition for the theatre, Zhao Li hides the news from everyone else, fearing that this could spell the end of her opera troupe: besides demolition, it’s the life of her “family” that is at stake. As she struggles to search for a new theatre for them to both sing and live in, the opera and its fantastic characters slowly begin to seep into her real world...
Directors' Fortnight
BFI
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