Set in China April 25–May 5, 2019

On the occasion of People’s Republic of China’s 70^th foundation anniversary, Istanbul Modern Cinema presents a selection from contemporary Chinese cinema of acclaimed films produced within the last year. The films in the selection explore current socioeconomic transformations in Chinese society and culture through different subjects and characters, while also reflecting Chinese cinema’s expansion to include new genres as it occupies an ever-growing place in world cinema. The program includes Ash is Purest White (Jiang Hu Er Nü, 2018) by Jia Zhang-ke, one of the leading directors of modern Chinese cinema. Depicting China’s transition to capitalism through a romantic tragedy set in a world of gangsters, the film played in competition at Cannes. The selection also features Winter After Winter (Dong Qu Dong You Lai, 2019) portraying a Chinese family’s struggle for survival during the Japanese invasion of Manchuria. Other films in the program include The Crossing (Guo Chun Tian, 2018) by Bai Xue telling the coming-of-age story of a 16-year-old girl; Hong Kong director Dante Lam’s Operation Red Sea (Hong Hai Xing Dong, 2018) in which Lam took his action war film project to the Middle East following the box-office success of his previous movie in the same genre filmed in Mekong; as well as the first and last film by director Hu Bo, who is also known for his penmanship, An Elephant Sitting Still (Da Xiang Xi Di Er Zuo, 2018) focusing on the 24 hours of a group of characters whose deadlocked lives intersect in north China.