Zhang Mengqi has made 10 films chronicling the past and present of her ancestral village, 47 km. The place’s peculiar name comes from its distance to the nearest city of Suizhou, which encapsulates both the context and potency of the project: “were it not for these films, no one would know about life there”, says Zhang.

The eighth instalment in Zhang’s 47 km series is perhaps her most measured exploration of the village, shedding a delicate light on the two protagonists: Li Guiting and Fang Hong. Li is an 85-year-old man who recounts how his own life story became enmeshed with the turbulent history of China. Fang is a 15-year-old girl who visits the village elders to draw their portraits and imagines a new future for 47 km and its inhabitants. Adopting an unhurried approach, this is a highly immersive film, bathed in winter sun, allowing space for memory to breathe. 

Followed by a Q&A with Zhang Mengqi.

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