Big Fish & Begonia Film Screening
Directed by Liang Xuan and Zhang Chun, 100 mins
Beijing Enlight Media, Biantian (Beijing) Media Company, China
DCP, Subtitled in English
The production of Big Fish & Begonia traces all the way back to 2004, when artists Liang Xuan and Zhang Chun created a short, promotional animated work by the same name. Following its positive reception, Liang and Zhang founded a production company, Biantian (Beijing) Media, with the intent of turning the project into a feature-length film. After more than ten years of starts and stops resulting from a perpetual lack of adequate funding, Liang and Zhang eventually gathered enough investors – as well as support from Beijing Enlight Media – to enable the completion of Big Fish & Begonia, which was released in China in July 2016 and enjoyed considerable commercial success compared to its meager budget. The creators drew inspiration from various sources, including Taoist fables and Chinese mythology, to imbue the film’s narrative with an array of mystical elements and characters. Many critics and fans believe this film to be a pivotal moment in the history of 21st century Chinese animation, and Liang and Zhang are already at work on a sequel. (Written by Jason Douglass, Series Organizer)