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10:30-12:00 Film Screening

12:00-12:30 Director O&A

Green Zeng (Director)

Green Zeng is a multi-disciplinary artist who works in both film and visual arts. His current practice explores issues related to historiography and identity. He has directed many short films such as Blackboard Whiteshoes, which was selected for the Cannes Film Festival in 2006, and Passenger, which in the same year was awarded the Encouragement Prize at the Akira Kurosawa Memorial Short Film Competition in Tokyo. He is currently the Creative Director of Singapore film production company Mirtillo Films. The Return is his first feature film, and it was selected for the 30th Venice International Film Critics’ Week.

June Chua (Producer)

June Chua studied and taught English Language and Literature before she left education to pursue her passion in film. She has written, produced and directed a number of well-received and award-winning short films that have been screened at international film festivals. Together with Green Zeng, she runs Mirtillo Films, an independent film production company in Singapore. In 2015, her first feature film production, The Return, premiered at the 30th Venice International Film Critics' Week.

The Return

Director: Green Zeng

Category: Feature Film

Country: Singapore

Runtime: 83 minutes

Wen, arrested for being an alleged communist, returns as an old man to an uneasy reunion with his children. Whilst his daughter Mei welcomes him with open arms, his estranged son Tien is resentful about the lost years, and rebuffs Wen’s attempts at reconciliation. Has his sacrifice come at too great a price? Wen also wanders through the city to see how his homeland has transformed into a shining metropolis. He reflects on his long detainment without trial, and is ready to move on. But as the past collides with the present, unforeseen circumstances force his journey to take a tragic turn.

New Asian Scenery

New Asian Scenery is co-founded by Lantern Cine-Club and Blackfin. Following a monthly schedule, New Asian Scenery has already held seven events in Beijing since late 2016, with attendees including Vietnamese director Minggui Zhang, Japanese director Kiyoshi Sato, Malaysian director Kek Haut Lau, Japanese director Tetsuya Mariko, Indonesian director Wicaksono Wisnu Legowo, Singaporean director Daniel Hui, and Korean director Lee Soojung. All of these directors brought their movies to Beijing, and engaged with both local audiences and members of the Chinese film industry. By focusing its efforts and endeavors in Asia, New Asian Scenery aims to, through screening events, create a consolidating, community-building platform that brings together filmmakers and cinephiles, and in this way promote further collaboration between Asian filmmakers, and contribute to Asian film industries’ potential for growth and development.

Lantern Cine-Club

Founded in 2015, Lantern Cine-Club has screened more than a hundred independent films and hosted several directors—along with their film teams—to share insight into the making of their works. Audiences are brought “on scene” as the creators share unforgettable commentary, bringing the action on screen to life and offering new interpretations for the work.

Blackfin

Blackfin Production is a production company focusing on investment, production, and distribution of art films and independent documentaries. Based in Beijing, it has branch offices in Hangzhou, Hong Kong, and Paris, which are responsible for production, project development, international sales and acquisition respectively. For the past three years since its founding, Blackfin has discovered several young promising directors. Their films have been selected for many international film festivals, including Kaili Blues (2015) by Bi Gan (Best Emerging Director and Special Mention for First Feature at the Festival del film Locarno 2015; Best New Director at the Golden Horse Awards 2015), Mr. Zhang Believes (2015) by Qiu Jiongjiong (selected at the Sign of Life of Festival del Film Locarno), This Worldly Life (2015) by Zhai Yixiang (Best Feature Film at K26 of Filmfest Hamburg 2015, Best Art Contribution at FIRST), Knife in the Clear Water (2016) by Wang Xuebo (New Currents Award at the 21st Busan International Film Festival), and Free and Easy (2016) by Geng Jun (Special Jury Award in Cinematic Vision at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival). Director Zhai Yixiang’s new film Mosaic Portrait won the Grand Prize million TWD award from the Taipei Golden Horse Film Project Promotion (FPP). Blackfin Production aims to continue working towards its cinematic dreams with an international outlook, persist in making art films, and introduce greater diversity to the film industry both in China and abroad.