The prize-winning film, The Story of Qiu Ju is the Classic Tuesdays film at the National Gallery, Castellani House on Tuesday.
According to a press release, The Story of Qiu Ju (1992) directed by Chinese director Zhang Yimou, tells the story of Qiu Ju (Gong Li), from 1990’s rural China, whose husband, Qinglai, in an argument with the village chief, makes a cutting remark which earns him a kick in the groin from the official. With her husband in pain and unable to work, Ju is determined to have the chief censured and offering an apology, but he is dismissive and unrepentant.
Refusing to accept this injustice, she moves in stages from her village to the next town and further away to the big city, as she seeks redress at the various stages of village and municipal officialdom, undeterred by her expectant state, and accompanied only by her faithful young sister-in-law.
Deadpan comedy combine with social commentary and narrative as the director reveals the details of village and city life (the latter filmed with hidden cameras), the matter-of-fact seriousness of officials doing their best to make a fair hearing available to both parties, and the dry remarks and amusement of villagers in commenting on the story of the two men.
The film won both the First Prize (Golden Lion Award) for the director and the Best Actress award for Gong Li at the Venice Film Festival 1992 and further awards from top Chinese film festivals The Golden Rooster Awards (Best Film and Best Actress 1993) and Hundred Flowers Awards (Best Film 1993) as well as Best Foreign Film awards from the French and American Film Critics Associations, the Independent Spirit Awards and other film festivals.
The film is 1 hour and 50 minutes long and admission is free.
