All About ING

110 minutes | 2019 | Fiction | Cantonese, Mandarin, Zhejiang Dialect | English and Chinese Subtitles
Canadian Premiere

With a handheld shot capturing the silhouette of a home in Guangdong, the story unfolds with the father Weiming’s illness, which disrupts the seemingly tranquil life of a nuclear family.

The mother, Muling’s response to the illness, and the son, Yiming’s yearning to go to an American university intertwine with the restrained emotions of two generations, shaping Weiming’s final moments. When the family travels to their ancestral island to pay respects to the deceased, Weiming makes his own choice after the mist disperses.

Family relationships are often fragile, as if each member exists in their own universe yet is bound inseparably by love. Balancing imaginative storytelling and truthful portrayal, director HUANG Zi’s debut feature is dedicated to his father, Xiaowei.

The irresistible panic and sorrow are dissolved into three harmonious chapters. They showcase the dynamic aspects of family life unique to Lingnan’s urban context, reflecting traces of the era through personal and intimate memories, for example, about a round dining table, overflowing fruit baskets, instant noodles on the train, a harsh dean, and compulsory daily exercises…Deeply rooted in its geographic significance, the film will resonate with audiences beyond the borders through the director’s keen observation of life. 

For those who grapple with unexpected life events, it is imagination that would enable one to break free from the looming shadow. (LIU Yuetong)

HUANG Zi was born and raised in Guangzhou, China. He began shooting shorts when he was at college. He used to study at the New York University Tisch School of the Arts. His short film The City (2013) was selected to the Festival Premiers Plans d’Angers, the Across Asia Film Festival, Cagliari, the Beijing Independent Film Festival, among others. All About ING (2019) is his debut feature.