Spain
70
69th edition. October 18-26, 2024
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Gu Wentong, a middle-aged food critic, is drifting through the local eateries of vibrant Beijing with his younger photographer colleague Oyang. A divorcé with a 6-year-old daughter and estranged from his father for decades, he is looking for a new perspective on life while reconsidering his failings as a father, a son, and a lover. While the seasons come and go, people get together and move apart. Only one thing will remain the same: The White Pagoda where they all meet sooner or later...
Born in Yanbian, China, in 1962, he began his career with the short film ‘Eleven’ (2000), which was invited to the Venice International Film Festival. Next he made his feature- length debut in 2004 with ‘Tang Poetry’ which was selected for Locarno. He then went on to develop his career as a film director in both Chinese and Korean, making more than ten feature films. His following film, ‘Grain in Ear’ (2005) won the Prix ACID-CCAS at the Cannes Critics’ Week and won the New Currents Award at Busan’s International Film Festival. ‘Gyeongju’ (2014) was in the competition at Locarno Film Festival and his feature films ‘Desert Dream’ (2007), ‘Dooman River’ (2010), ‘Fukuoka’ (2019) and ‘The Shadowless Tower‘ (2023) premiered at Berlinale.
