CineCina is thrilled to present the North American premiere of the critically acclaimed Journey to the West 宇宙探索编辑部 on Saturday, April 22 at 7:00pm at Scandinavia House. Screened as part of the 2022 International Film Festival Rotterdam, the film has generated significant buzz in China since its theatrical release. Click here to reserve your ticket before it gets sold out!
Directed by KONG Dashan, this debut feature is a hilariously deadpan mockumentary that pays homage to the bygone 80s, a period when the explosion of information and media evolution in China stimulated people’s curiosity and eagerness to explore the unknown. People were once obsessed with the wild interpretations of unsolved world mysteries that emerged during the times, although they now appear highly absurd and questionable.
Journey to the West follows the story of Tang, a chief editor at an obsolescent sci-fi periodical who struggles to keep the magazine afloat while dealing with personal and financial crises. After years of fascination with extraterrestrial life, Tang decides to embark on a road trip to the countryside in southwestern China with a group of like-minded teammates, in pursuit of his scientific faith, and to uncover the mysteries of the universe and the meaning of life.
Journey to the West / 宇宙探索编辑部
KONG Dashan | 2021 | 113 minutes
Mandarin with English Subtitles
Saturday, April 22, 7:00 PM
Scandinavia House (58 Park Ave, New York)
“The spirit of play permeates Journey to the West, and it is why the film approaches reality in a slightly different way than most of China’s art cinema titles do.” —Easternkicks
“Shot in a faux documentary style complete with direct to camera interviews and occasional breaking of the fourth wall, Kong’s hilariously deadpan, absurdist epic sees Tang journeying west in search of the meaning of life only to be confronted by the vastness of the universe and discover himself, and the answer he seeks, already in its embrace.” —Windows on Worlds