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Poet on a Business Trip
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Wikipedia article
'Poet on a Business Trip' is a 2015 Chinese documentary film directed, written and cinematographed by Ju Anqi. Originally shot in colour but edited to black-and-white, it follows a poet as he travels through Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region to write a series of 16 poems.
It made its world premiere at the 2015 International Film Festival Rotterdam and its Asian premiere at the 16th Jeonju International Film Festival, winning the NETPAC Award and the International Competition's grand prize, respectively.
Synopsis
Poet Shu sets off on a business trip across the entire province of Xinjiang, hitching rides and befriending the local Uighur population. Along the way he composes 16 poems that sardonically capture his journey.
Production
In 2002, director Ju and Chinese actor-poet Shu (who played the title character) took a train from Beijing to Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, 4000 kilometers away. In inhospitable and impoverished conditions, the two began to record their adventure on a 40-day journey across the whole of Xinjiang. A decade-long dispute between Ju and Shu put the project on hold. It was not until 2013 that Ju started editing the material and finished it in 2014.
Reception
'Poet on a Business Trip' was lauded by the Jeonju International Film Festival's International Competition jury member as "simple, curious, artful and ultimately very moving."
International Film Festival Rotterdam noted 'Poet on a Business Trip' "is also an historic document that exudes an atmosphere of loss, providing an unsentimental yet melancholy glimpse of a country in transition and a mirror for the existential irreversibility of time."
ZagrebDox wrote, "This poetic, provocative, and beautiful film is awarded (Best Film) for its power and for its skill in connecting the unexpected social truths with exciting presentation of art and of personal issues."
Awards and nominations
References
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