A River Runs, Turns, Erases, Replaces – 19. UNDER|DOX 10-16 OKT

Zhu Shengze

wednesday 13 oct 18.00 theatiner filmkunst

March 2020, a Wuhan street literally comes to a halt, passers-by stop moving at the sound of a siren. A few moments later, they set off again on their way. Like many others, this city came to a stop this year but has since come back to life. The currents of the Yangtze river, however, have not weakened. The river, which crosses the city and region, runs through and structures the wide static shots of Shengze Zhu’s film. The peaceful images leave us time to explore and take our bearings. Barely changing the shot scale, she builds a landscape film, a river film, to trace back and observe the anatomy of the territory. On the surface of the shots, letters appear. They talk about recent bereavements due to the Covid epidemic and the inhabitants’ pain. And while the face of Wuhan becomes disfigured, the river bed does not forget. (Cinéma du Réel)

Zhu Shengze b. 1987 in Wuhan, China. Co-founder of the production company Burn the Film. She is a filmmaker and producer based in Chicago, USA. Zhu stands for the poeticizing documentary that focuses not on the subject but on the way the world is seen.

Filme Out of Focus 2014 | Another Year 2016 | Present.Perfect. 2019 | A River Runs, Turns, Erases, Replaces 2021