To Live To Sing
To Live To Sing
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1h 45m
“It's also fascinating to see how Ma has incorporated fantastical elements of Xiaoli's troupe's performance into an otherwise realistic film about working class artists.” - The Globe and Mail
Cannes Film Festival
Thessaloniki International Film Festival
Reel Asian International Film festival
A Sichuan Opera troupe is faced with the demolition of their theater, and therefore potentially their dissolution. Chinese-Canadian writer-director Johnny Ma, brings us this touching drama that focuses on Zhao Li, the manager of the rundown theater in the outskirts of Chendu, China, where the troupe lives, rehearses, and performs. When she receives the news that they will no longer have a home, she searches for a new venue as she fears that her close-knit opera family may fall apart if she doesn’t find a solution. Her efforts are met with the help of a mysterious and fantastic character, right out of Sichuan opera, that helps lead Zhao Li to answers she doesn’t even realize she needs.
China, France, Canada - 2019 - 1h45m
Directed By: Johnny Ma
Written By: Johnny Ma
Starring: Xiaoli Zhao, Guidan Gan, Xihu Yan