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After the Rain
Batata How can you move on after you’ve lost your only child?
The incredible story of a woman caught in the middle of the Syrian Refugee Crisis and her commitment to hold onto hope.
After an earthquake razed the Chinese city of Sichuan to the ground in 2008, more than 6,000 parents were encouraged to replace the child they lost and move on.
Shot over an unparalleled 10 years, Syrian-Lebanese director Kevorkian’s intimate camera follows the plight of Maria and her family of Syrian migrant workers who find themselves unable to return back to their hometown of Raqqa, Syria.
Due to the One-Child Policy, these parents lost the only child they had. Over a decade, director Fan follows two couples who originally connected because they had both lost daughters named “Rain”. The couples become close friends through the shared experience of introducing new children into their shaken families.
Unique among the numerous refugee stories to date, Batata captures an entire decade while documenting not just the age-old conflict between two nations, but the unbending spirit of a woman who puts family ahead of all else.
Haunted by fear, resentment, and unspeakable grief, the families find hope beyond intergenerational trauma to build towards a brighter tomorrow. Executive Produced by Doc Edge alumni Jean Tsien (Our Time Machine, Plastic China).
DOC EDGE FESTIVAL DOC EDGE FESTIVAL
AUSTRALASIA PREMIERE
Director: Jian Fan Country: China Year: 2021 Duration: 104 min Language: Chinese
AKL: The Capitol, Sun 19 June, 10.30am CHCH: Silky Otter, Sat 25 June, 10.30 am
ASIA PACIFIC PREMIERE
WLG: The Roxy, Sat 2 July, 10.15am ONLINE: 20 June - 10 July
Director: Noura Kevorkian Country: Canada / Lebanon / Qatar Year: 2022 Duration: 126 min Language: Arabic / Armenian / English
AKL: Silky Otter, Thu 16 June, 8pm CHCH: Silky Otter, Thu 16 June, 8pm WLG: The Roxy, Sun 3 July, 12pm ONLINE: 17 June - 10 July
Behind the Mask
Balance of the Five Elements
One Kiwi doctor reveals the inside story of the global pandemic that will make you realise the true cost of working on the frontline.
What are the Five Elements? Take a trip through modern China to find out.
When Covid-19 hit, Doc Edge alumni director Dr. Trotman Donated to Science, was stood down because he is immunocompromised. Frustrated and looking for ways to contribute, he began documenting the experiences of colleagues around the world.
Studying and applying the Five Elements to daily life has become immensely popular throughout the world. This ancient Chinese philosophy known as Wu Xing accepts that everything in the universe is in a constant state of change. Passing through deserts, ice and snow, remote rural villages and populous megacities German director, Drevs and New Zealand Field Director & DOP, Mike Single embark on an extensive 200 day expedition throughout China.
Between March 2020 and August 2021, Trotman did almost 150 interviews. He was the only person talking to healthcare workers so early in the piece, when events were still new and raw and emotions high.
In this epic cinematic exploration filmmakers ask how we might achieve balance and harmony amidst the complexities and challenges of modernity?
Because he was a colleague, his subjects were incredibly candid. This remarkable film is the result.
The film is a New Zealand, Chinese, German co-production, and the first feature documentary co-production under The New
DOC EDGE FESTIVAL
Zealand China Co-Production Treaty.
DOC EDGE FESTIVAL
WORLD PREMIERE P-28
Director: Jan Hinrik Drevs Country: New Zealand / China / Germany Year: 2022 Duration: 100 min Language: Chinese / English / German
AKL: The Civic, Fri 24 June, 4pm
WORLD PREMIERE
WLG: The Roxy, Sun 3 July 7.30pm ONLINE: 25 June - 10 July
docedge.nz
docedge.nz
Director: Paul Trotman Country: New Zealand Year: 2022 Duration: 89 min Language: English
AKL: The Capitol, Fri 24 June, 11am CHCH: Silky Otter, Sun 26 June, 10.30am WLG: The Roxy, Thu 7 July, 8pm ONLINE: 25 June - 10 July
P-29