Festival Closing | Stonewalling

Huang Ji Born in Hunan in 1984, Huang studied screenwriting in the Beijing Film Academy. Since her first short film, The Warmth of Orange Peel (2009), Huang has focused on exploring the secrets of women’s inner emotions. Egg And Stone (2012), her debut feature, won the Tiger Award of the International Film Festival Rotterdam, while her sophomore film, The Foolish Bird (2017), was awarded the Special Mention of the Generation 14plus International Jury at the Berlinale. She is also the founder and tutor of Around You Film Workshop, which is devoted to educating the new generation. Otsuka Ryuji Born in Tokyo, Japan in 1972. He relocated to China in 2015 to work in independent filmmaking, and has since been serving as the cinematographer and producer for all the films directed by Huang Ji. In 2013, he made his first documentary, Beijing Ants, as a solo director. His co-directed The Foolish Bird (2017) won him the Best Artistic Originality Award (DoP) in FIRST International Film Festival. His recent cinematography work includes A Family Tour (2018) and Damp Season (2020).