All Ears

Synopsis

Wen Shan is a mediocre screenwriter struggling to make a living in Beijing. Commercial projects are left undone, and his own stories fall by the wayside. He lives a stagnant life in a fast growing city. By chance, he begins to write eulogies for a living. He meets the families of the deceased, carefully observes, listens to the stories, and at last, puts pen to paper. As he restores the lives of others, he finds his own place in the city and finally realizes that ordinary people can take the center stage too.

Director’s biography

Liu Jiayin was born in 1981, her first film Oxhide – a graduation project at the Beijing Film Academy, staging scenes of her family’s life in a cramped apartment in Beijing, was a hit and won an award at the Berlin International Film Festival. In 2009, Liu completed her second film, Oxhide II with a similar theme of her family, which was screened at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival.