Li Ruijun
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"Never Mind" Independent Film Screening VOL.11: The Old Donkey
Director: Li Ruijun
112mins/2012
Language: Chinese with English Subtitles
Synopsis
The 73-year-old Old MA suffers from chronicle asthma and has trouble in walking long distance, whenever he is out he would ride his donkey,therefore folks in the village nickname him as the “Old Donkey”. Old Donkey has three sons and two daughters, who actually are not willing to support him in his late years. However this old man manages to feed himself by plowing on his own responsibility field.
The young generation in the village believes that farming would only make ends meet but far from profitable, so they have found jobs in cities. However the County government decides that land as such wouldn’t be wasted and thus they would be allocated to those relatively affluent farmers who have basic science & technology knowledge; these land would be managed in a modern, efficient way by them too. Villagers who are not able to join the upgraded way of farming would have to sign contract to sublet their land to other folks and get some money back. They could also work for the new contractors.
The No. 1 rich guy in the village ZHANG Yongfu has signed contract to make the adjacent land into his farmland while Old Donkey’s field remains the only blindspot in his blueprint. ZHANG Yongfu tries hard to persuade Old Donkey in giving up his field, while the latter recalling his painful experience of working for the landlords when he was young, refuses him firmly.
The spring is to come. ZHANG Yongfu wants to forcibly plow Old Donkey’s field without notifying him and compensate his loss later on. Old Donkey after learning about this, decides to guard over his fields everyday. In a short time Old Donkey dreams that his family grave is buried in the sand, He finds out that the clan graves are to be covered by the expanding desert.
Soon, Old Donkey dies.His three sons make their best to arrange his funeral.
Director’s Statement
My film old donkey would epitomize the late life of those old folks in my hometown. Old man like Old Donkey has used his life-long diligent work to prove that he is a laborer, while a changing China has repaid him nothing. When faced with the to-be-devoured clan graves, Old Donkey chooses to work alone to fight against the desert, and to fulfill his duty as a son and a grandson. People’s sense of value nowadays is deteriorating like the natural environment, and something beautiful in life is like the tombs of Old Donkey’s family, and they are to be covered by the desert; would people’s heart become desert? Old Donkey’s life is changed by changes, and his destiny mirrors vicissitudes of ordinary people’s destiny throughout those two discrete eras in Chinese contemporary history.
These stories of the old generations parallel the ups and downs in films, and sometimes they are even more dramatic; I feel awed by the essence of life and their destiny. Contemplating upon the old generation’s life stories, I visualize them in my future project.And therefore this film is to be dedicated to all those are still living and who have already passed away.
The destiny of Old Donkey is as dramatic as the two discrete eras that he has experienced. And maybe the death of Old Donkey also parallels with the end of an era.
About the Director
Li Ruijun, 26-year-old, was born in GaoTai in GanSu province, prc, in 1983. At the age of 14, he started to learn painting and music. In 2003, he graduated from the institute of management of China National Ministry of Radio, Film and Television. From 2006 to 2007, he had completed his debut feature film Summer Solstice! From 2009 to 2010, he started to work on his second feature filmThe Old Donkey (Lao Lv Tou). Currently, It was awarded the script & project development 2009 and post-postproduction funding 2010--Hubert Bals Fund Rotterdam IFFR.
15th Pusan International Film Festival included it in New Currents Competition 2010.
7th China Independent Film Festival (Highest Award 2010 & Film Festival Closing Film)
1st SHENZHEN BAY FRINGE FESTIVAL 2010
29th Fajr International Film Festival 2011
Kolkata Documentary International Film Festival 2011
13th Deauville Asian Film Festival Competition 2011
35th The Hong Kong International Film Festival 2011(SIGNIS Award & FIPRESCI PriceAward nomination)
13thBuenos Aires International Film Festival 2011
2011 The Belgian royal filmarchives Film Festival (Cinédécouvertes prizes nomination)
29th MUENCHEN International Film Festival competition 2011.(CINEVISION AWARD nomination)
40th Rotterdam International Film Festival 2011(Dioraphte Award the second place)
2011 Li Ruijun’s third script project Where is my home was selection of the 9th Hong Kong-Asia Film Financing Forum (HAF) and awarded the script & project development & The Wouter Barendrecht Award.
李睿珺
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导演：李睿珺
112mins/2012
语言：中文，英文字幕
故事梗概
73岁的马老汉腿脚不便还患有严重的哮喘病，常骑一头毛驴为代步工具，村里人都叫他“老驴头”。
老驴头有三儿两女，但他依靠耕种两亩地维持生计。村里的年轻人大多外出打工了，只剩下老人、小孩、荒芜的土地和没完没了的沙尘暴。县政府决定进行土地改革，让有耕种能力的人集中土地连片机械化作业；无耕种能力的人拿土地转包金，或外出打工，或为农场主打工。村里的首富张永福承包了大片土地，但老驴头的两亩地夹在中间，他不愿意把土地转包给张永福，因为这让他想起自己年轻时没有土地，给地主打长工受剥削的经历。
春天快到了，张永福想强行把老驴头的两亩地和自己的地犁成一片。老驴头知道后每天躺在地里看守。不久，老驴头发现自家祖坟快被沙漠掩埋了。老驴头找三个儿子商量，儿子们都不愿意管。土地是老驴头赖以生存的基础和希望，而即将被沙漠掩埋的祖坟是他的先辈、后代、以及他自己的归宿。面对生与死，老驴头选择了终日独自治理祖坟边的沙漠。
春天到了，老驴头去世了，三个儿子争抢着为他办了一场热闹的葬礼……
导演阐述
这是关于73岁的老驴头从作为父亲和爷爷的身份做回儿子乃至孙子的故事。当老驴头面对自己的父母时，他为父母养老送终，他尽到了作为儿子的责任和义务；当老驴头面对自己的儿女们时，他将儿女们抚养长大，为儿女们修房子、娶媳妇，他尽到了作为父亲的责任和义务；当老驴头面对自己的孙子们时，他将孙子们带大，他尽到了作为爷爷的责任和义务。
此时，老驴头以为自己尽完了人生所有的责任和义务，他期盼着儿孙们像他一样尽自己应尽的责任和义务，但在这个伦理颠覆的时代，当老驴头面对不愿赡养自己的儿女时，他说只要自己还能睁开眼睛，他就有办法养活自己。当他面对荒芜的土地时，他说自己是种地的，人可以死但地不能荒。当他面对即将被沙漠掩埋的祖坟时，他说坟里埋的是自己的爹妈，儿女可以不管他，但是他必须尽自己作为儿子的责任和义务。
老驴头的命运像他一生所经历的两个不同时代一样天翻地覆，老人生命的结束，也正如一个时代的结束……
导演简介
李睿珺、男、28岁，1983年出生与甘肃高台。14岁起开始学习绘画及音乐，2003年毕业于国家广播电影电视总局管理干部学院。2006年独立制片、编剧、导演拍摄了电影处女作《夏至》，影片于2007年成后期制作；2010年编剧导演剧情长片《老驴头》。2012年编剧导演剧情长片《告诉他们，我乘白鹤去了》，该片改编自苏童同名小说，目前在后期制作中。2012年电影拍摄计划《家在水草丰茂的地方》
2009年完成剧情长片剧本《老驴头》同年获得鹿特丹国际电影节HBF剧本奖；
2010年获得鹿特丹国际电影节HBF基金后期支持奖；
2010年编剧导演影片《老驴头》入围第15届釜山国际电影节“新浪潮”竞赛。
2010年获得第七届中国独立影像年度展最高奖（闭幕影片）
2010年首届深圳湾艺穗节电影单元
2011年第40届鹿特丹国际电影节（Dioraphte 奖第二名）
2011年第29届伊朗Fajr国际电影节
2011年印度加尔各答纪录片电影节
2011年第13届法国杜威尔亚洲电影节竞赛单元
2011年第35届香港国际电影节（天主教文化大奖&国际影评人奖提名）