About this event
FilmThe Last Tribe of China
翁丁
LIU Chunyu
140 min
2024
Documentary
Mandarin, Wa
English and Chinese Subtitles
The 8th Tokyo Documentary Film Festival—Grand Prix, Anthropology and Folklore Film Section
Under the impact of urban civilization, a Chinese ethnic minority village (part of the Wa ethnic group) of six generations and a 400-year history is torn between relocating and staying where they are. The villagers have each made their own choices. However, it’s not a simple question of whether to stay or leave.
Through a naturalistic, intimate perspective and a restrained gaze, the film powerfully captures the turbulent undercurrents confronting the ancient village. The elders dreading the death of their tradition, the villagers caught up in the cultural tourism industry, the old, tilting house weathered by the elements, and curiosity-seeking tourists... All of this permeates this seemingly dormant, ancient village. By the standards of modern civilization, this is an underdeveloped and impoverished village. The civilized other and the manipulator of power want to use their own standards to create a so-called folk culture village. However, maybe it's the mud-playing children in the village, the young people letting loose at the festival, and the women farming in the fields who should be the ones to steer the destiny of their own village.