Gu Tao

Gu Tao was born in Wenchuan, in the Sichuan Province, China. From 2004 to 2007 he studied at the Mel Hoppenheim School of Cinema, Concordia University in Montréal. After going to Canada his cinematic work shifted towards experimental filmmaking. His works have been screened at International Film Festival Rotterdam, Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival and other festivals. He currently lives and works between China and Montréal.

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On the Way to the Sea – Canada / China 2010
20 min – 16mm on HD – no dialogue
K+S: Tao Gu – M: Milliseconde Topographie – P+V: Aonan Yang, GreenGround, Montréal

On May 12, 2008 , the biggest earthquake in Chinese history occurred in Wenchuan. According to official polls, 69,159 were killed, 374,141 were seriously injured and 17,469 are still missing. The filmmaker’s parents, central character in the film, are survivors. In a surreal hybrid of documentary footage, experimental abstraction and fictional elements, the film studies the human fragility and spiritual homelessness generated by such disasters.