March 1977, in wuhan, hubei province, china, is a montreal, quebec, canadabased documentary film director with the canadian production company eyesteelfilm and previously. Catching the last train home point of view magazine. Every spring, chinas cities are plunged into chaos as an astonishing million migrant workers journey to their home villages for the new years holiday. Sep 23, 20 filmmaker lixin fan may very well be one of modernday chinas great nonfiction storytellers. Every spring, chinas cities are plunged into chaos as million migrant workers journey to their home villages for the new year in. Set against the backdrop of the worlds largest annual human migration, last train home follows changhua zhang and his wife suqin, factory workers who travel home once a year on chinese new year. This mass exodus is the largest human migration on the planet, an epic spectacle that reveals a country tragically caught between its rural past and industrial future. As a result, eyesteelfilm was chosen as a company name by founders daniel and mila. The film deals with the worlda s largest human migration by millions of factory workers every year during the chinese new year. Last train home is heartbreaking, incredibly moving, and documentary filmmaking at its best. Because of the geographic parentchild separation, the kids have grown up sans a welldefined sense of the sacrifices that their parents continue to make for them on a daily basis, and without the parental. Today the studio is run by copresidents mila aungthwin and bob moore. Complications arise when denzel crosses paths with the leader of the retribution clan, john, who hides a dark secret of hatred and. Last train home s intimate observation of one fractured family sheds light on the human cost of chinas ascendance as an economic superpower.
Independent television service zeitgeist films every spring, chinas cities are plunged into chaos as million migrant workers journey to their home villages for the new years holiday. Independent television service zeitgeist films criterionondemand firm. Add to that the multiple awardwinning up the yangtze and they. For 20 years, weve used cinematic documentary to engage and reveal. March 1977, in wuhan, hubei province, china, 1 is a montreal, quebec, canadabased documentary film director with the canadian production company eyesteelfilm and previously a producerjournalist at chinas state broadcaster cctv. Mar 25, 2010 i met the production company that produced last train home, eyesteelfilm, in montreal and became the associate producer of the awardwinning film up the yangtze. Two billion journeys in chinas own great migration. Last train home is selected in world documentary competition at sundance film festival 2010 and won the top prize at ridm montreal and the whistler international film festival. Every spring, chinas cities are plunged into chaos, as all at once, a tidal wave of humanity attempts to return home by train. Come with me only she shes touching me words dont come easy but i know that you need me and i know that youre all alone. Sixteen years ago, the zhangs abandoned their young children to find work in the city. Their unseen story plays out as china soars towards being a world superpower. Watch last train home directed by lixin fan online vimeo on.
This mass exodus is the worlds largest human migrationan epic spectacle that reveals a country tragically caught between its rural past and industrial future. Its the first feature doc by lixin fan, a chinesecanadian filmmaker now living in montreal and working with that citys acclaimed eyesteelfilm group. His 2009 debut feature documentary film last train home won several awards in the category of documentary filmmaking. Last train home is a documentary film about the lives of migrant workers who continuously live life traveling and working. Aug 29, 2010 the documentary last train home looks at a generation of migrant workers who have sacrificed their families to chinas rush to economic supremacy. Last train home, an emotionally engaging and visually beautiful debut film from chinesecanadian director lixin fan, draws us into the fractured lives of a. An eyesteelfilm production in association with yuanfang media, itvs international, superchannel, tv5, and channel. Painful social conflict will arise between those chinese citizens who produce consumer goods for the world, and those chinese who want to consume them. Lixin fan is a socialpolitical documentary filmmaker. Last train home follows the zhang family who travel home on chinese new year to.
This film is dedicated to the migrant workers and their families. Last train home eyesteelfilm the adventures of montreals. Like yung changs superb up the yangtze which was produced by the same canadian company, eyesteelfilm, that produced last train home, last train home considers the devastating effects of economic. New directorsnew films 10 lixin fan pays tribute to china. Last train home dvd snoisle libraries bibliocommons. Homeward train is a 2009 documentary film directed by lixin fan and produced by daniel cross and mila aungthwin of eyesteelfilm. Its one of those extraordinary films, like hoop dreams, that tells a story the makers.
Jan 25, 2011 i watched last train home last night, a feature length documentary by lixin fan that was produced by eye steel film i had received positive feedback about the film and was interested in its subject matter. It is a documentary of one migrant family and the sad realities of life in sweat shop china. They return to a family growing distant and a daughter longing to leave school for unskilled work. Filmed with almost voyeuristic style, its hard not to want to turn away when you see the eyes of those being filmed glaring back at you as if daring you to look hard at the. Their journey home is long 2100 kilometers, complicated train, bus, and boat, and costly in a range of ways. Sep, 2011 as the zhangs navigate their new world, last train home paints a rich, human portrait of chinas rush to economic development. The decision is a heartbreaking blow for the parents. In an act of teenage rebellion, she drops out of school. New directorsnew films 10 lixin fan pays tribute to. Every spring, chinas cities are plunged into chaos as million migrant workers journey to their home villages for the new years. Throughout last train home, which starts at new yorks ifc center 3.
Watch last train home directed by lixin fan online vimeo. They made one of my favourite documentaries of last year, antoine, which i highly recommend checking out and the hugely successful, and extremely fun, rip. Watch the video for last train home from pat methenys one quiet night for free, and see the artwork, lyrics and similar artists. Daniel cross spent six years making his first film, the street 1997. A couple embarks on a journey home for chinese new year along with million other migrant workers, to reunite with their children and struggle for a future. I met the production company that produced last train home, eyesteelfilm, in montreal and became the associate producer of the awardwinning film up the yangtze. Filmmaker lixin fan follows changhua and suqin over the course of several years in the documentary last train home, as the couple makes the long journey home over a thousand miles only to find that their family is slowly falling apart 16yearold qin and her younger brother, yang, are all but strangers now to their parents, and the. Last train home, an emotionally engaging and visually beautiful debut film from chinesecanadian director lixin fan, draws us into the fractured lives of a single migrant family caught up in this desperate annual migration. Last train home takes viewers on a heartstopping journey with the zhangs, a couple who left infant children behind for factory jobs 16 years ago, hoping their wages would lift their children to a better life. A family embarks on an annual tormenting journey along with 200 other million peasant workers to reunite with. Last train home is the most recent film from eyesteelfilm who are just hitting it out of the park with one great documentary after the other.
An eyesteelfilm production in association with itvs international. Last train home, a visually striking debut film from chinese canadian director lixin fan, draws us into the fractured lives of a single migrant family caught up in this desperate annual migration. With changhua zhang, yang zhang, suqin chen, qin zhang. Throughout springtime in china, millions of migrant workers go home to their families. A young black insurance salesmen named denzel finds himself on the wrong side of the tracks in a town which still bears the scars of racial hatred from years past. A family embarks on an annual tormenting journey along with 200 other million peasant workers to reunite with their distant family, and to revive their love and dignity as china soars as the worlds next super power. Last train home is an american altcountry band led by eric brace guitar, lead vocals, formed originally in 1997 in washington d. Last train home follows the zhangs attempts to change their daughters course and repair their ruptured family. Last train home is an intensely moving documentary about the migration of peasants across chinas vast terrain. The patience and understanding to allow a family to tell their heartbreaking story in their own way. I watched last train home last night, a feature length documentary by lixin fan that was produced by eye steel film i had received positive feedback about the film and was interested in its subject matter. It won the best documentary feature at 2009 idfa and has been distributed by zeitgeist films in the us. Fan has visual panache last train home has some gorgeously composed shots but he also has something that cant be taught. Home eyesteelfilm the adventures of montreals award.
Its one of those extraordinary films, like hoop dreams, that tells a story. Eyesteelfilm is a montrealbased canadian cinema production company cofounded by daniel cross and mila aungthwin, dedicated to socially engaged cinema, bringing social and political change through cinematic expression. Last train home the documentarys official site offers a lengthy trailer of the film and helps you find a screening of the film near you. Last train home traces travels of chinas migrant workers duration. Director lixin fan forces no comment, political otherwise, as he. Filmmaker lixin fan follows changhua and suqin over the course of several years in the documentary last train home, as the couple makes the long journey home over a thousand miles only to find that their family is slowly falling apart 16yearold qin and her younger brother, yang, are all but strangers now. The arduous production process alternated between filming on montreals gritty streets with the local homeless population, and trying to find precious 16mm film i. Last train home tracks the zhang family, opening with scenes in a clothing warehouse where married couple changhua zhang and chen sugin work assiduously to support, one discovers through interview footage, their two children living over 1,000 kilometers away. Last train home is a stark, bleak, and unflinching revelation of a film. Sep 03, 2010 working over several years in classic verite style chinesecanadian filmmaker lixin fan with the producers of the awardwinning hit documentary up the yangtze travels with one couple who have embarked on this annual trek for almost two decades. Every spring, chinas cities are plunged into chaos as million migrant workers journey to their home villages for the new years holiday. Every spring, chinas million migrant workers travel back to their home villages.
Watch last train home directed by lixin fan online. Its the first feature doc by lixin fan, a chinesecanadian filmmaker now living in montreal and working with that citys acclaimed eyesteelfilm. As the zhangs navigate their new world, last train home paints a rich, human portrait of chinas rush to economic development. Sixteen years ago, the zhangs abandoned their young children to find work in the city, consoled by the hope that their wages would lift their. A feature documentary about migrant workers in china and the worlds largest annual human migration. Feb 08, 20 set against the backdrop of the worlds largest annual human migration, last train home follows changhua zhang and his wife suqin, factory workers who travel home once a year on chinese new year. Last train home was an interesting, but disturbing, documentary by lixin fan showing us the modern china,where most of the manufacturing for the world were made today. Dec 01, 2017 last train home is an american altcountry band led by eric brace guitar, lead vocals, formed originally in 1997 in washington d. Set against the backdrop of the worlds largest annual human migration, last train home follows changhua zhang and his wife suqin, factory workers who travel home once a year on chinese new. Last train home will air september 27, 2011 on pbs. Cut to a rural village, where zhangs two kids, teenage girl qin zhang and her younger. An eyesteelfilm production in association with yuanfang media, itvs international, superchannel, tv5, and channel 4.
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