To Live to Sing

Huo zhe chang zhe

60th TIFF: Greek Premiere

Zhao Li is the longstanding leader of a small Sichuan Opera troupe, a motley crew of performers mostly past their prime, who have knocked around with one another for so long that their camaraderie resembles a close-knit family. The troupe operates in a ramshackle theater, at which the only regulars are old-timers who don’t have anywhere else to go. But even this humble home is on borrowed time: “development” is encroaching and the building is scheduled for demolition. As Zhao struggles to find a solution, many of the troupe members make alternate plans…

Screening Schedule

No physical screenings scheduled.

Direction: Johnny Ma

Script: Johnny Ma

Cinematography: Matthias Delvaux

Editing: Ana Godoy

Sound: Guido Berenblum

Music: Jongho You, Jimin Kim

Actors: Zhao Xiaoli, Gan Guidan, Yan Xihu

Production: House on Fire, Image X Productionist

Producers: Wu Xianjian, Jing Wang

Co-producers: Vincent Wang

Art Direction: Zhang Xueqiang

Costumes: Adam Lim

Format: DCP

Color: Color

Production Country: China, France

Production Year: 2019

Duration: 100΄

Contact: Films Boutique, contact@filmsboutique.com

Awards/Distinctions: Best Film, Best Actress (Asian New Talent Award) – Shanghai IFF 2019, Honorary Mention (International Competition) – Guanajuato IFF 2019

Johnny Ma

Chinese-Canadian director and screenwriter Johnny Ma, who immigrated from Shanghai to Toronto at the age of ten, gained recognition through his short film A Grand Canal that premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival. His debut feature film Old Stone was selected for the Berlinale Film Festival, while his second feature To Live to Sing was screened at the Directors’ Fortnight section of the Cannes Film Festival.