On day 1 we will be screening Soul Mate by Canadian-Chinese Director Derek Tsang. Derek, who studied at Ryerson, is lauded as one of the brightest young film makers in the Hong Kong film industry.
The film is set in the current time period and explores the relationship between two young girls as they mature and discover the meaning of adulthood. The two stars both won Best Actress Awards for their roles in Soul Mate This film is still theatres in Canada and the US and our screening will be the Ottawa Premiere.
Earlier this year Soul Mate was the opening film at the Reel Asian Film Festival in Toronto.
Regarded by many as “film of the year” for its success at major Chinese film awards, Soulmate portrays the decades-spanning friendship between Qiyue and Ansen, two disparate women who struggle to find positions for their real selves in the modern world.
Featuring unforgettable performances from Zhou Dongyu and Ma Sichun who made history by winning “Best Actress” together at the biggest Chinese language film award, this poignant, intelligent and honest drama is a heartfelt tribute to everyone’s best girlfriend that will make you watery-eyed. With a subtle message concerning gender role, accurate capture of life in fast-changing urban China and impressive artfulness in all aspects, Soul Mate reinvigorates the genre and further lifts up the standard of contemporary Chinese cinema.
Director Derek Tsang
Derek was born in 1979 in British Hong Kong into a film making family. He has had a successful career as an actor in more than 30 films, screen writer and director. He received four Best Director nominations for Soul Mates.
In 2001 Derek graduated with a BA from the University of Toronto. He deliberately chose not to study filmmaking while at U of T, even though his family was in the business in Hong Kong. This choice allowed him to have a different perspective on life and absorb the culture in and around campus.
He said, “there are a lot of things happening in the city (Toronto), culturally, artistically, so instead of studying the whole time there were a lot of different things to do that can help you learn more about culture”.
Zhou Dongyu
Zhou Dongyu was born in Shijiazhuang on 31 Jan 1992, and graduated from the Beijing Film Academy in 2015.
In 2010, Zhou was picked by Zhang Yimou to star in his film Under the Hawthorn Tree. She rose to fame for her role in the film and won several awards, including the Best Actress at the 56th Valladolid International Film Festival in Spain, Outstanding New Actress at the 14th Huabiao Award and Best New Performer at the 20th Shanghai Film Critics Awards.
Following several years of highly productive work Zhou achieved breakthrough with her performance in the film Soul Mate based on the novel of the same name. Zhou received the Best Actress award at the 53rd Goldern Horse Awards together with her Soul Mate co-star Ma Sichun and also won Best Actress at the 28th Hong Kong Film Critics Society Awards.
Ma Sichun
Ma was born in Bengbu, Anhui in 1988. Ma graduated from Communications University of China.
Ma Sichun began her career as a child actress at age 7, when she appeared in The Winter of Three Persons, which stars Jiang Wenli and Zhao Jun. 5 years later at the age of 13, she starred in The Grand Mansion Gate. Both productions co-star her aunt, Jiang Wenli.
In 2012, Ma won the Golden Phoenix Awards for Best Newcomer for her performance in the film, Time Flies Soundlessly. A busy and successful in 2016, Ma starred in Time Raiders, based on the popular tomb-raiding novel series Daomu Biji. The same year, she starred in Soul Mate playing the beautiful, kind yet rebellious Qiyue. Ma won the Golden Horse Award for Best Leading Actress alongside her co-star Zou Dongyu.
More Information” links for Soul Mate http://www.chengchengfilm.com/