Zheng You

In 1995, some high schools in Beijing began to enroll students from poor families, allowing the students to attend school free of charge, to keep them in school. They were given a grand name- “Students with Aspirations”. These children, who face a great deal of pressure just to get by, are an enormous inspiration, with their remarkably hard work, their diligence and their self-respect. They are courageous in facing what fate has dealt them and they dance, even without music.

Set in 1930s pre-war Wuzhou, Wangjiang Tower follows Ah Xiu, a young woman living in a historic riverside building repeatedly targeted by outsiders. She meets and falls in love with Liang Wenting, an architect from Guangzhou, who helps save the tower and gifts it to her. War soon separates them, and for ten years, Ah Xiu waits faithfully, enduring bombings and the pressures of others. When peace returns, she reunites with Liang, only to discover he is now married. Faced with heartbreak, Ah Xiu must choose how to move on from a decade-long wait. The film won Best Picture at the 23rd Varna International Film Festival in Bulgaria.