Synopsis
Yugong Yishan refers to an ancient Chinese fable of an old man coined a fool for attempting to move the mountains that blocked the path in front of his house. He determinedly digs a small amount every day and with perseverance eventually manages to move these mountains. Yugong Yishan is also one of the three stories found in the Little Red Book, which Chairman Mao required everyone to memorize during the Cultural Revolution, to unite people in order to fight against the mountains he identified as imperialism and feudalism. Today, Yugong Yishan is the name of a small, non-descript bar, owned by a Chinese musician Gouzi, located in the heart of Beijing, which has already been marked for demolition to make way for more commercial ventures. Gouzi’s vision is to create a thriving independent music scene in Beijing. The documentary, Yugong Yishan, explores the spirit of The Old Fool through three generations.
Recipient of a grant from the Asian Network of Documentary 2006, Pusan Film Festival
Screenings
44th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival
Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic, July 2009
Film screenings:
6 July, 15:30, Cas Cinema
7 July, 19:00, Panasonic Cinema
http://www.kviff.com/
World Premiere
13th Pusan International Film Festival
Pusan, South Korea, October 2008
Section: Wide Angle
Sun, 5 Oct 2008 Megabox 1 20h30
Tues, 7 Oct 2008 Megabox 2 13h30
http://www.piff.org/
Credits
Filmmakers
Written, Directed & Produced by:
Joanna Vasquez Arong
Story Consultant:
Guillaume Vandenberghe
Edited by:
Joanna V. Arong
Lee Chatametikool
Cinematography by:
Guillaume Vandenberghe
Sound Editor:
Akritchalerm Kalayanamitr
Soundman & Assistant:
Jakob Mader
Additional Music:
Cédric Murrath
Joanna
Joanna moved to Beijing from Manila in 2002 to pursue her dream of filmmaking. Prior to taking the plunge into films, Joanna worked in various fields around the world including finance (Deutsche Bank, Asia-Pacific region) and economic development (United Nations, Bangkok & Beijing). She pursued a Political Science/International Studies degree at Boston College (with a year exchange at the Institut d’Etudes Politiques, Paris) and a Master’s Degree in Development and Environmental Studies at the London School of Economics. Besides producing and directing her independent films, Joanna freelances as an editor, producer and director for companies, non-profit organizations and individuals. Her feature debut film, Neo-Lounge, which premiered in 2007 has screened in 20 festivals and has won three international awards.
Guillaume
Guillaume Vandenberghe is based in Brussels and is Co-Founder of Yelo Productions. As a cinematographer he is known for his work on the award winning short film “Kong at the sea” and the feature “Kassablanka”. He studied at INSAS and took part in the DOP Masterclass in Budapest. At the moment, he’s working on documentaries and features.
Lee
Lee Chatametikool has worked as a film editor and post-production producer in New York and Bangkok alongside producing his own films. His film, ‘Miami Strips, Hollywood Dream’, was runner-up for the Ratana Pestanji Award for Best Thai Short Film in 2000 and has screened at numerous festivals worldwide, including the Oberhausen Short Film Festival and the Pusan Asian Short Film Festival. In 2001, Lee moved back to Bangkok from New York to work on Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s first narrative feature film, ‘Blissfully Yours’. He has since worked alongside a new crop of young filmmakers in Thailand, editing the debut features for many up and coming directors. In 2007, he won the Best Editor award for ‘Syndromes and a Century’ at the inaugural Asian Film Awards in Hong Kong.
Akritchalerm
Akritchalerm Kalayanamitr has a BFA degree in Political Science/International Affairs from Thammasat University and originally intended to join the diplomatic corps. But a strong interest in film sidetracked him into studying Film-making in the USA. After graduating from film school in 2000, he was active in the ‘underground’ film-making in Bay Area San Francisco. On his return to Thailand he taught at the school of audio engineering and worked with Apichatpong Weerasethakul for the first time on Tropical Malady. His recent credits include Anocha Suwichakornpong’s Graceland, Pen-ek Ratanaruang’s Ploy, Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s Syndromes and a Century, Aditya Assarat’s Wonderful Town and Anat(t)a sound installation with Koichi Shimizu.
Cédric
Cedric Murrath is an award winning film composer who graduated as a film director, and shot a few shorts in that role. As a musician he travelled the world with The Pretenders, Björk, and on a more regular basis, he’s working with Hooverphonic.
Jakob
Jakob Mader graduated in Directing from The Central Academy of Drama in Beijing in 2007. Originally from Berlin, Germany, with the inherent dream of making films, Jakob came to Beijing in 2002. He got engaged in the film scene and has contributed to many projects as an editor, actor and producer. He has collaborated on all of Joanna’s projects filmed in Beijing to date.