Wheat Harvest

  • 98'
  • China
  • 2008
Controversial portrait of the young Niu Hongmiao, who earns her money in the eastern area of Beijing as a prostitute. In order to help her parents and to care for her severely ill father, she heads for the countryside during the wheat harvest, where she also leaves all her savings behind. The film jumps backwards and forwards in time and shows the complex double life that Niu Hongmiao tries to maintain.
During screenings in China and Hong Kong, the documentary led to a great deal of controversy. Audiences wondered why the director did not do more to hide the identity of those involved. With a combination of cinéma vérité and interviews, Xu Tong sketches a picture of the sex industry in Beijing and shows the loyalty and dignity of the men and women who work there. In front of the camera an underground world emerges with its own language, rituals and rules and centred on strong, self assured women, who are, just like the subject, rare in Chinese films and documentaries.

  • 98'
  • China
  • 2008
Director
Xu Tong
Premiere
European premiere
Country of production
China
Year
2008
Festival Edition
IFFR 2010
Length
98'
Medium
DV cam PAL
Language
Mandarin
Producer
Xu Tong
Sales
Xu Tong
Cinematography
Xu Tong
Editor
Xu Tong
Production Design
Xu Tong
Sound Design
Xu Tong
Music
Xu Tong
Director
Xu Tong
Premiere
European premiere
Country of production
China
Year
2008
Festival Edition
IFFR 2010
Length
98'
Medium
DV cam PAL
Language
Mandarin
Producer
Xu Tong
Sales
Xu Tong
Cinematography
Xu Tong
Editor
Xu Tong
Production Design
Xu Tong
Sound Design
Xu Tong
Music
Xu Tong