LITTLE RED FLOWERS

NARRATIVE, China/Italy, 2006, 92 minutes; in Chinese with English subtitles

Director/Producer: Zhang Yuan
Producers: Marco Müller, Allen Chan, Li Bolun, Yao Lifeng
Based on the novel by Wang Shuo

Celebrated director Zhang Yuan lets his film unfold like the most beautiful of flowers, revealing layer after layer of complexity along the way. Immediately apparent is the breathtaking cinematography by director of photography Yang Tao, and a series of simply remarkable performances by a group of largely untrained four and five-year-old children. But at the real heart of this film is an examination of Chinese life that tackles questions of conformity and mass movement vs. individualism. The charming but rebellious Fang is dropped off by his busy father at a boarding school run by, among others, the strict disciplinarian Miss Li. As the children are led briskly through their daily routine, Fang breaks rank at every turn, resulting in a series of incidents that are at times hilarious, at times heartbreaking. At one point the children turn against Fang en masse; in another memorable scene he leads them to near revolution by convincing them Miss Li is a child-eating monster. Eventually locked up in isolation for his transgressions, Fang must decide if he will ultimately conform, or continue to express his individuality despite the cost. (Ruth Cowing)

· 2006 Berlin Film Festival: Panorama Special
· 2006 Sundance Film Festival: World Dramatic Competition

Natalie Cristiani was born in Rimini, Italy. She served as Assistant Editor on LITTLE RED FLOWERS, in addition to FACE ADDICT, THE SCENT OF BLOOD, and TEN MINUTES OLDER: THE CELLO. Her Editor credits include BEFORE IT HAD A NAME, PETROLEO MEXICO, PATRIZIA CAVALLI STANZE E VERSI, and CAMERA OBSCURA.