Recently, the 8ᵗʰ Pingyao International Film Festival (PYIFF) 2024 announced its honors. The film KARST, directed by JHU alumnus Yang Suiyi, won the Fei Mu Best Film Award in the Chinese Film “Hidden Dragon” Unit.
KARST is Yang Suiyi’s debut feature film. The movie tells the story of Ziying, a cattle breeder in the Karst region of Southwest China, far from cities, who travels between villages and towns to find medical treatment for her cattle. Her journey also brings back memories of her past. The jury’s comment reads: “The film richly and subtly portrays both the region and the woman’s image with simplicity and depth.”
In an interview with the media, Director Yang said: “The title KARST was chosen to create an intertextual connection between the landscape and the people who live in it. Karst refers to a type of landscape, and its beauty is actually the result of erosion and damage. These people live there, though facing their own struggles and dissatisfaction in life, stay positive and optimistic, living in a state of love for and embrace of life.”
Yang Suiyi, born in 1997 in Qiandongnan Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture, Guizhou Province, graduated from the Digital Media Technology major at the School of Education, JHU in 2019. Aftergraduation, he has maintained close ties with his alma mater, engaging in discussions on film production with faculty members. While pursuing a master’s degree in art theory at the Beijing Film Academy, he directed several short narrative films. KARST is his debut feature film, and he is currently pursuing a Ph.D. at the Shanghai Film Academy.
The 8ᵗʰ Pingyao International Film Festival, themed “Earth,” featured films from 22 countries and regions, including China, France, Portugal, Brazil, Uruguay, and Italy. Nearly 45% of the films were world premieres, with all of them being premiered in mainland China. The “Hidden Dragon” Unit at the PYIFF representsthe latest creative direction of Chinese filmmakers.
(By Shi Lan)