The programme for Wednesday 1 And Thursday 2 May
On Thursday 2 May the legendary Chinese director will be receiving the Golden Mulberry and hosting a masterclass.
The last two days are packed with unmissable titles: from cult Philippine comedy Becky and Badette
to the world premiere of high-octane Hong Kong actioner Customs Frontline!
A whole year of preparation for nine days of programming: nine joyful, intense days which, once the countdown starts, slip away at the speed of light... Yes, it's already time to announce the Closing Night of FEFF 26. Actually, scratch that - it's already time to announce the Closing Day, because the flames will be burning brightly right from the morning. And what flames they'll be. Thursday the 2nd of May 2024 is more than just a space on the calendar: it's the date when Zhang Yimou will be taking the stage at the Teatro Nuovo “Giovanni da Udine” theatre!
When we talk about him, we're talking about a legend - an auteur around whom there is a "before" and an "after". Talking about him means talking about two Golden Lions in Venice, a Golden Bear in Berlin, a Grand Prix in Cannes and three Oscar nominations - and that's not even all. Talking about him means talking about the giant of cinema who on Thursday the 2nd of May will be receiving the Golden Mulberry Lifetime Achievement Award on the stage of the Teatro Nuovo "Giovanni da Udine" theatre and will also be hosting a masterclass which will be open to all!
“For us,” say FEFF founders Sabrina Baracetti and Thomas Bertacche, “Zhang Yimou's cinema represents two absolutely fundamental turning points. The first was the one that opened our eyes to the cinematic wonders of mainland China when we were little more than kids. The second is that it was one of the sparks, one of the driving forces, which first brought our festival to life! That's why presenting Zhang Yimou with the Golden Mulberry means something more than just recognition of his genius: it's also our way of saying "Thank you, maestro" and of symbolically giving him back some of what he has given to us."
A leading member of the "Fifth Generation", the famously creative group of filmmakers who revolutionised the aesthetics of 1980s China, Zhang Yimou has always pursued a free and total vision of cinema, identifying his own personal aesthetic in the push towards change. A cinema that, without ever surrendering its auteur essence and thematic depth, manages to use the most diverse languages, expressing itself through, and above all going beyond, genres: from rural drama and wuxia to period thrillers and big budget blockbusters. A cinema where individual stories have always been and continue to be a cultural, ethical and political mirror of collective history.
Over the years the FEFF has documented the nuances of Zhang Yimou's gaze multiple times (Red Sorghum, Under the Hawthorn Tree, Cliff Walkers and Full River Red were all screened in Udine) and will be doing so again this year with the presentation of three titles: thriller Under the Light (Wednesday the 1st of May at 14:30) and the world premiere of the restored versions of Raise the Red Lantern (Thursday the 2nd of May at 9:30, as a prelude to the masterclass) and To Live (Thursday the 2nd of May at 19:30 immediately after the award ceremony).
And obviously, the last two days of the twenty-sixth edition will also be packed full of unmissable titles: from Herman Yau's gripping actioner Customs Frontline, with which FEFF 26 will officially close on Thursday the 2nd of May, and Japanese samurai movie Bushido, scheduled for Wednesday the 1st of May, to Filipino cult comedy Becky and Badette which, also on the 1st of May, will be bringing one of the FEFF's dearest friends back to Udine: Eugene Domingo!