The River of Life

Story

Pingdao, approaching 30, is a semi-successful documentary film-maker and his girlfriend Wenjing is expecting their first child. And they’re not married! Their daughter is born one month after the death of Pingdao’s grandmother – which means marriage plans are put on ice for the moment. Tradition forbids a wedding during a year of mourning. Yang Pingdao interweaves scenes of a young Chinese couple feeling the pressure to succeed, soiled nappies and fits of jealousy, with footage of the last six years of his grandmother’s life, creating a family saga spanning four generations. This film is part of the special series “Chinese Independent Cinema”.

Director

YANG PINGDAO (*1980) comes from Canton and works as a film-maker, cameraman and screenplay writer. His short and long documentaries have been seen at Chinese festivals since 2007 and he's a regular at the Beijing Independent Film Festival.