CLOUDY MOUNTAINS
China 2012 – Director: Zhu Yu – Original language: Chinese – Subtitles: English – Length: 85 min.
"I don’t care about working conditions as long as I’m getting paid", remarks the 17-year-old miner soberly. Together with his father he works in an asbestos mine at the Lop Nur Mountain in western China. Enveloped in a giant cloud of dust, the people here eke out a living under extremely difficult conditions: antiquated equipment and protective clothing; accommodation in cramped plastic huts; isolated from the outside world; risking their health amid the all-corroding dust. Yet their lust for life is unyielding thanks to the considerable payment they receive.
Zhu Yu’s debut film is succinctly narrated and he has captured surreal images that appear as if they were from another planet. Despite their brutal environment the protagonists’ will remains strong because the hope for a better life is the last thing to perish. Maren Willkomm
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Camera: Zhu Yu, Lui Zhifeng. Sound: Shen Hancun, Zhao Jingyan. Editing: Han Lei. Production: Documentary Channel, Shanghai Media Group (SMG). Producer: Han Lei.
