MulanIFF2024 Closing Night: CAREFREE DAYS

We are thrilled to announce that the 2024 Mulan International Film Festival will close on August 17th with Carefree Days by Chinese director and actor LIANG Ming.

“A director’s core responsibilities involve two aspects: casting and directing actors; designing shots and blocking. LIANG Ming’s sophomore feature Carefree Days* undoubtedly showcases his growing directorial prowess. A native of Northeast China, Liang chose to adapt his fellow Northeasterner BAN Yu’s eponymous novella, adding a vibrant stroke of fervor to the bleak, stagnant, and desolate narrative of the Northeast.

For Lingling, waving the grand flag only to fall, live selling despite her illness, and teetering on the brink of death with a tint of warmth — the evidence of life is present when, on a freezing day, the white smoke from her breath condenses on the plastic curtains. Even if the ending is foreseeable, how can one idly waste away like a coward? To have struggled, lived, thrived, and loved — a character’s two-hour journey mirrors that of a generation’s, from the mountains to the seas.”

— SHEN Wei, Artistic Director