Tide

Tide

Zhang Vita • 2019

Duration: 00:14:50
Language: Mandarin
Subtitles: Chinese, English
Country/Region: Mainland China

In the 1950s, soldiers from Changping, north of Beijing, were ordered to build up Xin Jian, which lies to the city’s south. Their families stayed, and many of the people who until recently lived in Xin Jian had spent their whole lives there.One woman, now in old age, was born here in the 50s’. She had always fed the dozens of stray cats that lingered near her house, and wanted to take them with her in the move. But she couldn’t catch them. She returned every day while the demolition work was ongoing to feed the cats, until one day they stopped coming.The film uses photos, interviews, and sounds from the village to show a space full of ruins, where people, animals, and objects alike are homeless and lost, or have ceased to exist

AWARDS & FESTIVALS

2019 China Geofilm Festival, China2021 Nomad Film Week, China

DIRECTOR'S STATEMENT

Zhang Vita

Zhang Vita

Director

My art works stem from life. Like many others, I moved from a small town to Shanghai to study and work for many years. However, I feel no sense of belonging, whether to my hometown or to Shanghai. Migration and belonging are themes that concern me. In December 2017, migrant residents of Xinjiancun in Beijing were suddenly forced to relocate, amid rumors that the government was expelling the so-called “low-end population.” By October of the following year, even the local Beijing residents of Xinjiancun were forced to move. Meanwhile, large-scale demolition and reconstruction were also taking place in my hometown. When I visited Xinjiancun in September 2018, I found it had already become a wasteland. In my film, I did not explicitly state the location of the ruins, only revealing it at the end to emphasize its authenticity and documentary significance. I believe this space is a reflection of the era we live in.

TRAILER