Dong (film)

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Dong
Directed by Jia Zhangke
Produced by Yu Lik-wai
Zhu Jiong
Chow Keung
Dan Bo
Starring Liu Xiaodong
Music by Lim Giong
Cinematography Yu Lik-wai
Jia Zhangke
Chow ChiSang
Tian Li
Editing by Kong Jinglei
Zhang Jia
Distributed by Xstream Pictures
Release date(s) Venice:
September 5, 2006
Hong Kong:
November 18, 2006
Running time 66 min.
Country China/
Hong Kong
Language Mandarin Chinese
Sichuan dialect
Thai
Allmovie profile
IMDb profile

Dong (simplified Chinese: 东; traditional Chinese: 東; pinyin: dōng; literally "East") is a 2006 documentary film by Chinese director, Jia Zhangke. It is the companion piece to Jia's Still Life, which was released concurrently although Dong was reputedly conceived of first.[1] The film, which runs a relatively short 66 minutes, follows the artist and actor Liu Xiaodong as he invites Jia to film him while he paints a group of laborers near the Three Gorges Dam (also the subject of Still Life) and later a group of women in Bangkok. The film was produced and distributed by Jia's own production company, Xstream Pictures, based out of Hong Kong and Beijing.

Dong was screened at the 2006 Venice International Film Festival as part of its "Horizons" Program, and as part of the 2006 Toronto International Film Festival's "Real-to-Reel" Program.[2]

Dong was filmed in HD digital video.

Contents

[edit] Relationship with Still Life

Filmed at the same time as Jia's fiction film, Still Life, Dong also shares the same setting (the Three Gorges area of central China) and in certain instances, the same shots. Han Sanming, one of the leads in Still Life, also appears (in character) within Dong as do other characters from that film.[3]

The film, given its short length and improvised feel was overshadowed immediately by Still Life, which would go on to win the 2006 Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival.

In contrast, Dong generated far less publicity, prompting one critic to deride it as a "minor addition" in Jia Zhangke's canon.[1]

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b Weissberg, Jay (2006-09-18). Dong. Variety. Retrieved on 2007-11-28.
  2. ^ Film description. Toronto International Film Festival. Retrieved on 2007-11-28.
  3. ^ Kraicer, Shelly. China's Wasteland: Jia Zhangke's Still Life. Cinema Scope, volume 29. Retrieved on 2007-11-27.

[edit] External links

v • d • e
Films directed by Jia Zhangke

Feature films: Xiao Wu (1997) • Platform (2000) • Unknown Pleasures (2002) • The World (2004) • Still Life (2006) • 24 City (2008)
Documentaries: Dong (2006) • Useless (2007)
Short films: Xiao Shan Going Home (1995) • Dudu (1996) • In Public (2001) • Our Ten Years (2007)
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