Languages Archives: Mandarin Chinese

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Shorts 5: Comedy

  Various

  France, Ireland, Poland, Saudi Arabia, Switzerland, U.S.     87 minutes

Synopsis

Laugh away the woes of the world with this eclectic collection of comedies. From the absurd anxieties of wannabe filmmakers to the ridiculous delusions of the recently dumped, these stories are insightful, unexpected, and delightfully irreverent.

In Nervous Energy, two fiercely ambitious aspiring filmmakers make a pact to break up with their boyfriends to free them up for the next phase of their careers. In 1:10, a schoolyard tussle between two friends escalates when the kids’ self-righteous and macho fathers get involved. Heartsick follows Jess who, spiraling from a recent breakup, writes a detailed email to her ex about how well she is doing, with a few embellishments here and there. When Jamie finds a mysterious trombone case one night—the contents of which might change his life forever—he convenes an emergency meeting with his friends in Moonluck Wonton. In Duck Duck Goose, recently divorced Juju is pressured by her mother to make an impression as an eligible wife while attending a funeral. A couple is put to the test, literally, when they agree to participate in a joint therapy session that will be observed by an international panel of psychology experts in Exam.

 Arabic, English, Japanese, Mandarin Chinese, Polish, Swiss-German, Turkish 

Screenings & Events

There are currently no upcoming screenings of this film.

Sponsors

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A young man wearing an eyepatch stands in a doorway facing outside, with his arm reaching out and a sad expression.

Nervous Energy

  Eve Liu

  U.S.     15 minutes

Synopsis

Two fiercely ambitious aspiring filmmakers make a pact to break up with their boyfriends to free them up for the next phase of their careers. This hilarious take on the romanticizing of prestigious filmmakers and the desperate passion of aspiring artists is explosive, rambunctious, and delightfully surprising.

This film screens as part of Shorts Program 5: Comedy.

  

 English, Japanese, Mandarin Chinese 

Film Credits

  •   Gregory Barnes, Elias Putnam, Alex Bendo
  •   Eve Liu
  •   Jordan Michael Blake
  •   Mélanie Akoka
  •   Lucie Zhang, Sonia Yuan, Chingho Wai
  •   Sam Goku
  •   Spike Lee

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Shorts 8: Drama

  Various

  China, Croatia, France, Greece, Hong Kong, Palestine, Philippines, Spain     89 minutes

Synopsis

In these five shorts, exceptional international filmmakers explore subjects ranging from sex and war to grief and hippos. Whether employing dark humor or grounded realism, these stories speak to the complexities of the human experience.

In a building housing an old cinema on its last legs, a child discovers their true identity through the magic of the movies and the quiet curiosities of everyday life in Honey, My Love, So Sweet. In Hippopotami, a young girl sets out on a highly anticipated trip to the zoo when she comes to understand a new side of her parents’ inner lives. When their father dies, two brothers must return home to face their complicated past and find a way to move beyond their history in I’m Glad You’re Dead Now. The Cow takes place in occupied Croatia in 1991, where an army major reluctantly cares for a left-behind bovine in a hastily abandoned home, forcing him to face his repressed guilt. In Made of Sugar, Maria, a neurodivergent woman, decides to claim autonomy over her own body, refusing the societal norms and structural barriers telling her she can’t.

 Arabic, Catalan, Croatian, Filipino, Mandarin Chinese, Tagalog 

Content Considerations

Screenings & Events

There are currently no upcoming screenings of this film.

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A little girl sits in the backseat of a car facing the back.She looks over her shoulder to an older man, sitting beside her.

Hippopotami He Ma

  JJ Lin

  China, Hong Kong     13 minutes

Synopsis

When a young girl embarks on a highly anticipated trip to the zoo with her parents and some unexpected strangers, she comes to understand a new side of her parents’ inner lives. This story of innocence lost deftly weaves dark humor with delicately nuanced characters.

This film screens as part of Shorts Program 8: Drama.

 Mandarin Chinese 

Film Credits

  •   Lou Ying, Lin JJianjie
  •   Lin Jianjie
  •   Liao Yanlong, Wang Cong, Zeng Mingke
  •   Li Chen
  •   Zhang Zhiyong, Wang Zixi, Xu Ge, Wang Zhenhua
  •   Zhang Wen, Li Haoyuan
  •   MOS Productions, Paradigm Shift Entertainment
  •   https://www.lightsonfilm.com/hippopotami.html

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