Mama Unclassified 18+
Ma Ma He Qi Tian De Shi Jian
Language: Mandarin with English subtitles
The 2021 winner of the Göteborg Film Festival’s Ingmar Bergman International Debut Award dives into personal memories that embody the persistence of life in the face of enormous tragedy.
Xiaoxian lives with her younger sister and their parents in rural Sichuan province. Her mother is pregnant, and her father works in town, so the girls spend most of their time with their grandparents. Over seven days in the summer of 1992, the 12-year-old witnesses three deaths and two births that change her life forever.
The Victorian College of the Arts–trained Li Dongmei makes her feature debut with a deeply intimate film that evokes events from her own childhood, including the death of her mother. Like the Iranian cinema that the director has been influenced by, Mama is simple in style but emotionally complex, featuring slow, striking images of the Chinese countryside and everyday rural life that unfold like photographs from the past. The first Chinese-directed film to win Göteborg’s breakout award, Mama is a stirring meditation on family, love and death.
“Part a return to the past, but also a meditation on life, death and family … Touching and beautifully shot.” – Asian Movie Pulse
In Cinema
For more venue information and for information about accessible services provided at MIFF this
year, please go to miff.com.au/access.
To ensure that MIFF can provide you with the best customer service, if you require any
accessibility services that MIFF offers at any MIFF venues, please book your ticket by emailing
boxoffice@miff.com.au or by phone on 03 9087 3395.
Online
Key Cast
Cheng Shuqiong, Ge Wendan, Wang Xiaoping, Xia Guoli
Director
Li Dongmei
Producers
Chi Qingbo, Han T.Sun, Li Dongmei, Zhang Hong
Screenwriter
Li Dongmei
Cinematographers
Shen Xiaomin, Zhang Yalong
Editors
Zhang Zhongchen, Zhao Huifeng
Premiere Status
Australian Premiere
Format
Digital
You might like...
The 2021 winner of the Göteborg Film Festival’s Ingmar Bergman International Debut Award dives into personal memories that embody the persistence of life in the face of enormous tragedy.
Xiaoxian lives with her younger sister and their parents in rural Sichuan province. Her mother is pregnant, and her father works in town, so the girls spend most of their time with their grandparents. Over seven days in the summer of 1992, the 12-year-old witnesses three deaths and two births that change her life forever.
The Victorian College of the Arts–trained Li Dongmei makes her feature debut with a deeply intimate film that evokes events from her own childhood, including the death of her mother. Like the Iranian cinema that the director has been influenced by, Mama is simple in style but emotionally complex, featuring slow, striking images of the Chinese countryside and everyday rural life that unfold like photographs from the past. The first Chinese-directed film to win Göteborg’s breakout award, Mama is a stirring meditation on family, love and death.
“Part a return to the past, but also a meditation on life, death and family … Touching and beautifully shot.” – Asian Movie Pulse
In Cinema
For more venue information and for information about accessible services provided at MIFF this year, please go to miff.com.au/access.
To ensure that MIFF can provide you with the best customer service, if you require any accessibility services that MIFF offers at any MIFF venues, please book your ticket by emailing boxoffice@miff.com.au or by phone on 03 9087 3395.