Synopsis : Youth (Hard Times) is the second chapter of Wang Bing’s monumental opus on the diminished youth of China, who work seemingly endless hours and have traded life for financial exploitation. Here, Wang Bing broadens his exploration of lives in the garment district from the cramped, overcrowded workshops of Zhili to the Yangtze Delta region’s unique and complex economy. Throughout, Wang Bing’s impassive gaze engages us in a tactile experience of life in the workshops, delivering an epic, unsparing — yet devoid of miserabilism — portrait of the indomitable spirit of youth.
Festival History : Locarno Film Festival 2024, Busan International Film Festival 2024, Toronto International Film Festival 2024
Awards : FIPRESCI Prize, Special Mention: Concorso Internazionale, Locarno Film Festival 2024
Director :
Wang Bing
Producer :
Sonia Buchman, Mao Hui, Nicolas R. De La Mothe, Vincent Wang
DOP :
Shan Xiaohui, Song Yang, Ding Bihan, Liu Xianhui, Maeda Yoshitaka, Wang Bing
Editor :
Dominique Auvray, Xu Bingyuan
Wang Bing is a leading figure of the documentary movement that has been gathering vital momentum within Chinese cinema. His work, which spans documentary, fiction, video installation, and shorts, has premiered and won awards at festivals such as Cannes, Venice, Berlin, and Locarno.