From Somewhere To Nowhere
Von Irgendwo nach Nirgendwo – Unterwegs in China mit dem Fotografen Andreas Seibert
Switzerland, November 2008
FILM,
Documentary,
86 min.
- directed by
- Villi Hermann
- Written by
- Villi Hermann, Eve Martin
- Status
- In distribution
Hermann’s film centers on Swiss photographer Andreas Seibert whose work focuses on the entire Asiatic territories. High-population centres of enormous size are springing up in China with dizzying speed. With them comes an increased demand for migrant workers in the construction sector, factories, and mines. In growth centres like the Pearl River Delta in Southern China, one hundred million people have already set out from rural, underdeveloped provinces to earn their living there. Seibert and Hermann accompanied the workers repeatedly in order to document their everyday lives and their journey back home. Their stories are told in a collection of striking photographs that provide a close-up portrait to complement the current discussion of economic growth in China. With its combination of photos and video images, this documentary film conveys a unique impression of the scale of this modern migration of peoples, the so called “mingong”, illegal migrant workers. His pictures depict individuals, not just faces lost in a Mao-blue crowd.
Il cineasta Villi Hermann accompagna il fotografo Andreas Seibert durante tre viaggi in Cina, nel 2006, 2007, 2008. Andreas Seibert è un fotoreporter svizzero che vive a Tokyo e pubblica per grandi riviste internazionali. Il fotografo racconta storie della vita quotidiana di una Cina che cambia freneticamente e da diversi anni si interessa al fenomeno dei migranti all’interno della Cina: lo spostamento di 150 milioni di contadini (i cosiddetti “mingong”)dalle zone rurali verso le megalopoli. Il cineasta e il fotografo viaggiano attraverso la Cina, da nord a sud e da est a ovest. Seguono anche un migrante durante il suo lungo viaggio che, dalla megalopoli di Guangzhou-Shenzhen, lo riporta nella sua provincia natale, il Sichuan, una zona rurale di grande emigrazione.
credits
- World Premiere
- November 2008
- Original Version
- English, Swiss-German, Mandarin (english subtitles), colour, HDV, 86 min.
- ISAN
- 0000-0001-FAB1-0000-F-0000-0000-T
- Production
- Imagofilm Lugano, RSI Radiotelevisione svizzera, SRF Schweizer Radio und Fernsehen
- Producer
- Michela Pini, Villi Hermann
- directed by
- Villi Hermann
- Written by
- Villi Hermann, Eve Martin
- Cinematography
- Villi Hermann
- Editing
- Samir Samperisi, Alberto Meroni
- Sound Editing
- Riccardo Studer
- Sound Design
- Riccardo Studer
- Re-Recording Mix
- Riccardo Studer
- Music
- Christian Gilardi, Zeno Gabaglio, Gregorio Di Trapani
- Location Sound Mix
- Villi Hermann
World Sales / World Rights
- World Sales
- Nour Films
Worldwide Distribution
- Switzerland
- Imagofilm Lugano Distribution
Awards
(a selection)
- San Gio Video Festival, Miglor Video Lungo 2009 (Winner)
Festivals
(a selection)
-
Trento Film Festival Montagna-Esplorazione-Avventura
29.04.2010 - 09.05.2010 -
9th Tiburon International Film Festival
18.03.2010 - 26.03.2010 -
Montréal, Québéc, H2Y 2K7, 5th Montreal Human Rights Film Festival
11.03.2010 - 21.03.2010 -
Cinema St. Louis Film Festival
12.11.2009 - 22.11.2009 -
54. Semana Internacional de Cine de Valladolid
23.10.2009 - 31.10.2009 -
Beirut International Documentary Festival
22.09.2009 - 27.09.2009 -
25. Festroia International Film Festival Setubal
04.09.2009 - 13.09.2009 -
Locarno, 62. Festival del film Locarno
05.08.2009 - 15.08.2009 -
San Gio Video Festival
23.07.2009 - 27.07.2009 -
18. Internationales Filmfestival Innsbruck
09.06.2009 - 14.06.2009
-
Freiburger Film Forum
19.05.2009 - 24.05.2009 -
Solothurn, Solothurner Filmtage
19.01.2009 - 25.01.2009