Synopsis
San, a young Miao woman residing in Shanghai, immerses herself deeply in poetry, painting, and various forms of art. She has wrestled with depression for an extended period. As the post-pandemic era approached, San briefly entertained a provocative idea: The concept of orchestrating her own funeral. However, just as she started sorting through her belongings, her grandmother passed away unexpectedly. Upon returning to her hometown in Kaili, Guizhou, to attend her grandmother’s funeral and make arrangements for her own, San found herself in a dilemma of relapsed depression, resurfacing family traumas, and the conflict between reality and dreams.
WANG Changkai
WANG Changkai, a director and a cinematographer, was born in a small city in southeastern China. He graduated from the MFA program at Hong Kong Baptist University Academy of Film, specializing in directing. Since then, he has primarily focused on documentary filmmaking. His directorial works, including TOMORROW GIRL, ILLUSORY LIGHT, and RETURN, RELATIONSHIP, RAINBOW, have received acclaim and been selected for prestigious festivals such as the Buenos Aires International Film Festival, Madrid Film Awards, Dallas Independent Film Festival, and the UK Film Festival. As a cinematographer, Wang's documentary WORLD WATCHING NINGXIA won the "Chinese Cultural Communication" award at the Chinese American Film Festival. Additionally, he served as assistant director for the short film ONLY BECAUSE, which was nominated at the Houston International Film Festival.
Director's statement
FUNERAL, FUNERAL is a documentary I shot using DV tapes. The texture of the tapes is old and worn, devoid of a sense of time. Combined with the inherent faults of the tape medium, they create a physical “recording” that alienates from reality, aligning with the protagonist’s disordered thoughts. Throughout the filming process, I chose not to impose any frameworks or rules, but instead followed the emotions and dynamics between us: the selection of angles, compositions, and camera movements flowed naturally from my instincts and experience in each moment. As a documentarian, I feel privileged to have been part of her life journey. This isn’t just about capturing her funeral; it’s about documenting her resilience and determination to survive.
