The Lion Looks Back

Creative Statement

Between 1999 and 2006, there were multiple cases in Shandong and elsewhere in which students' college entrance exam results were used by impostors. The impostors and their victims mostly came from the same county or district, and the victims were all from rural families. Some victims learned the truth years later and filed complaints, but their lives had already been changed irreversibly.

Synopsis

Beneath the great rock known as "The Lion Looks Back", Ding Shan and Zhang Shasha spent an innocent childhood together. But in the college entrance exam, Zhang Shasha's results were stolen by Zhang Meng from the same school, and Ding Shan, who knew the truth, chose to keep quiet and betray her. Ten years later, back in the small town, Ding Shan decides to break with the cowardice and silence of her youth and stand with Shasha against the darkness.

Running Time:

100 min

Genre:

Coming-of-age, Crime, Drama

Director:

Tan Yukun

Screenwriter:

Guo Boya

About the Director

Tan Yukun: Director and film editor who has edited a number of theatrical films, including Pegasus, nominated for Best Editing at the 28th China Golden Rooster Awards. His feature screenplay Local Dog won the Sanya Focus Award and the Xianli New Filmmaker Program Award at the 2022 Hainan Island International Film Festival.

About the Screenwriter

Guo Boya: Screenwriter and story developer; graduated from the Department of Film Literature, Beijing Film Academy. Selected works: the film Chinese Laborers, the TV series Women's Gang and Youth Police Stories, and the TV and web series Chasing the Killer for 21 Years.