Take Off

Source: Shanghai Maoyan Pictures / Beijing Pineapple Street Film / China Film Creative

‘Take Off’

EXCLUSIVE: Beijing-based sales agent Rediance has boarded Chinese director Pengfei’s Take Off ahead of its world premiere in Competition at Tokyo International Film Festival (TIFF).

Based on Shuang Xuetao’s novella The Aeronaut, the drama follows an ordinary worker who spends his life to complete his father’s unfinished dream of flying, set against the industrial saga of northeast China. After an early experiment leaves his brother-in-law disabled, he straps on his self-made flying machine in a bid to soar into the sky.

The cast is led by Jiang Qiming and Li Xueqin.

“The novel itself is imbued with an idealistic spirit, blending humour and sharp wit with a deep sense of humanistic care,” said director Pengfei. “I love telling stories through comedy and humour, so this film is filled with everyday wit, weaving the plot around real accounts from each era.”

To ensure authenticity, the filmmaker conducted extensive research in northeast China where the original novel was based, interviewing people from different eras about their experiences and emotions.

The film is backed by Shanghai Maoyan Pictures, Shanghai Haimu Film Group, China Film Creative, Beijing Pineapple Street Film and Tianjin Maoyan Weying.

Pengfei graduated from France’s International Institute of Image and Sound (3iS) and began his career working closely with Taiwanese auteur Tsai Ming-liang. He co-wrote Tsai’s Venice-winning Stray Dogs before making his 2015 directorial debut Underground Fragrance, which won best film in the Giornate delgi Autori sidebar of Venice.

Pengfei’s second feature, The Taste Of Rice Flower, was also selected for Venice Days in 2017 where it received a special mention. His third, Tracing Her Shadow, played in competition at Shanghai and was selected for Tokyo in 2020.

Rediance is handling several titles selected for this year’s Tokyo including Mother Bhumi from Malaysia’s Chong Keat Aun, which today secured eight Golden Horse Awards nominations including best film, best director and best actress for star Fan Bingbing.

Further TIFF titles on Rediance’s slate include Akio Fujimoto’s Lost Land, the first-ever Rohingya-language film, which plays in the Nippon Cinema Now strand; and Ben River’s Mare’s Nest in World Focus.

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