A FIRST FAREWELL
IRISH PREMIERE
Director: Lina Wang
86 minutes. China. 2018. Subtitled. Colour. D-Cinema.
Best Film, Grand Prix Generation Kplus International Jury, Berlin International Film Festival 2019; Asian Future Best Film, Tokyo International Film Festival 2018.
Winner of Best Film, Grand Prix Generation Kplus International Jury in Berlin, Chinese filmmaker Lina Wang pays tribute to her hometown in this astonishing debut documenting the lives of China’s Uyghur Islamic minorities in Xinjiang Province Northwest of China, through the story of Isa, a Muslim farm boy, his friend Kalbinur, and their families.
One by one family and friends leave, as each faces the life-changing implications of education, work, and caring for their elderly and sick as the region expands and is modernised. A visual document of the erosion of the Uyghur community and the homogenisation of a unique culture through language politics (Mandarin becomes a requirement at school), this story is delicately told from a child’s perspective. Pure, contemplative, atmospheric, with scenes of arresting beauty, and realist performances delivered by a non-professional cast.
Lina Wang (b. 1987 in Xinjiang, China) studied at the Communication University of China. A First Farewell is her debut feature.
