Housen Short Film Award

• Japan Premiere

Spotlight

Swallow Flying to the South

燕南飛

Director: LIN Mochi (林墨池)

2022｜USA, Canada, China｜17min｜Language: Mandarin｜Subtitles: English, Japanese, Chinese

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Synopsis

Spring 1976, the Cultural Revolution is drawing to an end. We see this tumultuous time from the perspective of a 5-year-old girl named Swallow. One of many children abandoned at a public boarding school in Beijing, she experiences harsh privations in a highly regimented day-to-day life. It may leave her in tears at times but it never breaks her spirit and the ending of Chairman Mao’s era approaches...

The upheaval of the Cultural Revolution is vividly brought to life in this profoundly moving stop-motion animation. Drawing upon her mother’s experiences, director LIN Mochi uses atmospheric sound design, detailed sets, beautifully crafted puppets with expressive facial expressions to show the endurance of lead character Swallow and create an outstanding humanistic work of survival in an era of chaos.

[Jason MAHER]

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