Director: Pan Yue
Screenwriter: Pan Yue
Cast: Tou Juntao / Ma Kaixin
Genre: Short Film
Country/Region of Production: China / United Kingdom
Language: Jinyun dialect
Release Date: 2023-05-22 (Cannes Film Festival)
Runtime: 28 minutes
Also Known As: Talking to the River
IMDb: tt27547624  
 
 
Xiao Kai, a left-behind child living in a village, wants to join his parents in the city for summer break. But when he learns his mother is pregnant with a second child, he has no choice but to stay in the village for the summer. After one unbearably hot and anxious day, Xiao Kai sleepwalks at night, wandering alone to the river to play in the water. A local shaman is called in to call back his spirit and also prays for his chronically ill grandfather. Xiao Kai never sleepwalks again, but fire scenes start appearing in his dreams...
Director Pan Yue, born in 1997 and a graduate of the London Film School, had his film Talking to the River selected for the 2023 Cannes Directors' Fortnight (formerly the Quinzaine des Réalisateurs). The film is built around the visual motifs of water and fire, using a wealth of everyday details and raw performances to map the protagonist's inner world.

Cannes Directors' Fortnight
Shanghai International Film Festival
Pingyao International Film Festival and other international festivals
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