Five Men and a Caravaggio

Director: Xiaolu Guo

Year: 2010

A revealing portrait of contemporary China in the post Marxist era which explores the facets of Chinese socio-political life, by putting it in the context of globalisation and individualisation.<br /> <br /> Personal stories unfold in an unexpected straightforwardness and with a striking sense of humour: an old peasant who has lost his land, a millionaire chatting with his mate in a stock exchange office, a young migrant who came to the city to wash cars, a weapon factory worker who wishes Mao was still alive, a successful hotel owner who praises the government’s liberal economy policies, and young kids whose dream is to become a famous western artist - all addressing contemporary issues that trespass borders and blur the socio-political lines into a globalised world of shared values and collective problems.

Director: Xiaolu Guo

Year: 2009

She, A Chinese tells the story of, a young Chinese woman, MEI, who leaves her monotonous village life behind for the excitement of the nearest big city, Chongqing. However, life there doesn't quite turn out as she expected it; fired from her factory job, she falls in love with SPIKEY, a hit man whose own past soon catches up with him.  A spur of the moment decision takes Mei to London, where she marries an elderly man, MR HUNT.  A new life begins for Mei, trapped in the silence of Mr Hunt's house, alienated and bored. Her frustration at life with Mr Hunt leads Mei into an affair with RACHID, an Indian immigrant who runs a local take away restaurant, and she moves into the backroom of the restaurant to live with him.  Rachid decides to return to his own country, leaving Mei pregnant and alone, facing an uncertain future.

Director: Xiaolu Guo

Year: 2007

A young man in southern China has killed his lover. He starts a lonely escape across the whole country towards his land of wonder, a snowy village at the northern border. <br /> <br /> Sitting at his desk in Beijing, a scriptwriter is writing that man's story. It is through his characters that his life gains its weight, meaning and freedom. His imagination blurs the boundaries between reality and fiction.<br /> <br /> The snowy village lies on the quiet border between China and Russia. Old villagers fish under the ice, school children study English text about America. They endure the long winter nights waiting for the sun to come back.<br /> <br /> When the scriptwriter arrives in that mysterious village, he meets his own fictional character, lying on the frozen river at the border, covered in snow. <br /> <br /> Two men contemplate the icy landscape. One wants to cross the border to see the other side of the world. The other longs to head back to his hometown, which he left so many years ago.