BIFF partners with the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China

The Nassau Guardian

The 10th Annual Bahamas International Film Festival (BIFF), from December 5–13, will once again celebrate “Cinema in Paradise”.

BIFF is proud to announce that for the second year the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China will be providing Chinese films to be showcased before and during the 2013 film festival.

BIFF’s Founder & Executive Director Leslie Vanderpool says, “The relationship between BIFF and the Embassy Of the People’s Republic of China In the Commonwealth of The Bahamas has been growing for over 8 years. With China’s rapidly changing environment and rich culture, bridging cultures through film is critical as it allows the world at large to see the nuances.”

The films to be shown at the 2013 Bahamas International Film Festival are:

Painted Skin: The Resurrection, directed by Wuershan

An ancient fox spirit embarks on a diabolical quest to become human after escaping an icy prison, and becomes bound to a disfigured princess who seeks the love of a noble guard as her kingdom crumbles in this lavish supernatural epic. Confined to a frozen cell for centuries, malevolent fox spirit Xiaowei (Xun Zhou) regains her freedom and seeks to preserve her beauty by seducing men and consuming their hearts. Should a man offer her his heart willingly, Xiaowei will become mortal, breaking free of the underworld and experiencing living among the living. Meanwhile, as a dark cloud falls over her kingdom, Princess Jing (Wei Zhao) flees, hiding her deep facial scars under a mask of pure gold while seeking the love of her former protector, who remains haunted by his failure to save her years prior. When destiny brings Xiaowei and Princess Jing together, the battle for the princess' heart begins.

Caught in the Web, directed by Kaige Chen

Set in modern-day China, a young woman becomes embroiled in controversy after a cell phone video of her being disrespectful on a public bus to an elderly person goes viral. The aftermath effects her personal and professional life and brings her face to face with the video's poster, an ambitious journalist.

The film was selected as the Chinese entry for the Best Foreign Language Oscar at the 85th Academy Awards.

Feng Shui, directed by Jing Wang

Wuhan, central China, the mid-'90s, summer. The ambitious Li Baoli (Yan Bingyan), her husband Ma Xuewu (Jiao Gang) and their eight-year-old son Wenzhao, aka Xiaobao (Wang Tiange), move from their cramped old house into a spacious, more modern, high-rise one provided by the car parts factory at which Xuewu works as a team leader. The hyperactive Baoli is on edge during the move and relentlessly keeps attacking everyone verbally. For her, the move is a major step upwards in life; but soon everything starts to go wrong. Xuewu, fed up with her perpetual bitching, tells her he wants a divorce and starts spending as little time at home as possible. To gain sympathy, Baoli tries to use Xiaobao in her domestic war. Meanwhile, Xuewu has taken a liking to a sympathetic co-worker, the married Zhou Fen (Wang Moxi), and when Baoli sees him taking her to a hotel one day she makes an anonymous call to the police to raid their room. As a result, Xuewu is demoted at work. The pair continue to live together, but Xiaobao takes his father's side in Baoli's constant power-playing. Things get worse when Xuewu's mother (He Minglan), left homeless in her village, comes to live with them, and Xuewu is laid off at work. He commits suicide, and Baoli, left to care for her mother-in-law and son, leaves her job in a backstreet socks shop and becomes a female yoke-bearer to earn more cash. Ten years later, she is still doing the same job and Xiaobao (Li Xian), now a top student at high school, is about to take his final exams to enter university. But he has still not forgiven his mother for his father's death.

In addition to showcasing three award winning films from China, the Embassy Of the People’s Republic of China will be co-sponsoring the Youth Film workshop, a program designed to teach selected schools throughout The Bahamas how to make a film in a day. The topic of the film will be on the opportunities that Baha Mar will bring to The Bahamas.

Hu Shan, Chinese ambassador to The Bahamas, also expressed his delight with the showcase of China made films via the 10th Bahamas International Film Festival, noting that this move will strengthen the cultural exchange between China and The Bahamas and bring the two peoples together. Meanwhile, Ambassador Hu also gave his best wishes to the filmmakers of The Bahamas, hoping one day Bahamian film and culture could be shown in China.

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