Synopsis
This is a story about youth with music. It all happens at the Dandelion School, Beijing’s first middle school specifically established for the children of migrant workers. Every year when new pupils arrive, Ms. Yuan Xiaoyan, who has worked in the school choir for eight years, would choose a group of music-loving first-years with solid musical foundations to join the choir. A new group of children join the choir while those who have advanced to the second year have to discuss with their families their future choices. For choir members, their music career in middle school will eventually stop due to the pressure of high school entrance examinations and the inevitable parting. But along this journey accompanied by music, they have been savoring the joys and sorrows of their youth, burying them deep in their hearts, and transforming them into growth-promoting nutrients.
Liang Junjian
Liang Junjian is a ducumentary director and producer. BEIJING 2008 (90min, photographer) is about an entrepreneur's struggle during Olympic year and was nominated and screened in IDFA 2010. PLAY IN THE DARK (101min, director), based on 1-year fieldwork in Guanzhong Area of China, discussed the social change in modern China through interaction between shadow puppetry and rural areas. A PIECE OF XUAN PAPER (96min, director), based on fieldwork in Southern China between 2010 and 2012, represented current Chinese craftsmen and their experience since 1949. His latest documentary film, LADDER TO PARADISE (88min, co-director), is released in Oct. 16th 2015 all over China. This film won the most popular documentary award of 2015 Guangzhou International Documentary Film Festival, China, and was nominated at the 31st China Film Festival Golden Rooster Award for best documentary.
Director's statement
During the filming process, we frequently revisited our original intention and considered the issue of how to handle the relationship between society, the era, and individual life experiences. In the end, we decided to emphasize children’s viewpoints and highlight how they perceive the world around them – It’s more about feeling and experiencing than struggling and surviving. We believe that, within a massive social structure, these children exhibit a gentle yet resilient vitality that reflects the concept of growth. They would use everything around them that belongs to the era – good or bad in our adult opinions – including music, time, and cities, as food for their own growth. Every little piece of thought or feeling of ours has ultimately been condensed into this movie, which tells a story of youth and separation of four children.
