a day in the life OF a teddy bear
Μια μέρα στη Σαγκάη
GREECE
Directed by: Vassilis Xiros
Film followed by Q&A with Director
VAssilis Xiros
Thanks to the generosity of the Mirkopoulos family
When it came time for Vassilis Xiros, a former foreign affairs diplomat, to realize his passion project of an independent film, naturally he made a cross-cultural relationship drama. His debut, the first-ever co-production between Greece and China, is a day-long dialogue picture in the tradition of Richard Linklater’s Before Sunrise. As in that film, timing is everything: Jinxi (Tu Hua), a student violinist, is about to leave for Vienna, while Panos (Dimitris Mothonaios), a young architect, has just arrived in Shanghai. For at least one day—thanks to the recovery of the teddy bear of the title—the two keep each other company as they think out loud about their ideals, doubts, and cultural presumptions. Xiros, who also wrote the screenplay, is aided by the veteran talent of editor Lambis Haralambidis, who handled Costa-Gavras’s latest film, the Greece-set Adults in the Room. In English.
CAST: Dimitris Mothonaios, Tu Hua
Language:
English
Genre:
ROMANCE
Runtime:
105 min
YEAR:
2022
[Horák] matches each of the film’s periods to a different style: the 1960s to the Czech New Wave, the 1970s to normalization films, and the 1980s to documentary-like grainy footage. The stylisation enables a fine adjustment of dramatic effects”
(Martin Kudláč, Cineuropa).
Awards:
- Bulgarian entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 91st Academy Awards 2018
- Golden Rose Festival of Bulgarian film: Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Actress, Critics Gild Award and Audience Award