THE FADING VILLAGE

China, 2019, 172’
Director: Liu Feifang
Scriptwriters: Liu Feifang, Miao Ruwen
Cinematographers: Liu Feifang, Cheng Chia-ming
Producer: Liu Feifang
Editor: Guo Hengqi
Music: Roc Chen
Production Company: Shanghai Haojin Film Center

Unlike the other young people, Hou Junli has not left for the city but has remained with his family in their forlorn mountain village. Members of the younger generation living in the northern Chinese province of Shanxi must leave their homes because traditional work can no longer provide them a sustainable wage. The dilapidated houses continue to resist the snow and rain, but how long can the village survive if all family ties have been severed? This long-term observational documentary presents an engaging and comprehensive look at one year in the life of humble people who love their birthplace despite its harsh realities.

LIU FEIFANG

Born in 1981, Liu Feifang, (original name: Liu Guanming) is a Chinese film director and photographer. He was born in Yuanping of China’s Shanxi Province, later on studying photography in the Meishi Film Academy of Chongqing University, and worked as a photographer in an advertising company for three years. He has directed two short films, while The Fading Village is his first feature documentary, which premiered at the 2019 Karlovy Vary Film Festival. As a photographer, he was involved in a number of films, TV serials, and documentaries. The documentary Oasis, where he served as a photographer, won the Best Documentary Award of the FIRST International Film Festival.

Filmography

Pink Flowers (2008, short), Big Names (2010, short), The Fading Village (2019).