About the Director/Screenwriter
Li Jing: From Beihai, Guangxi, and a graduate of the Communication University of China. Director of the short films Lily and Birch Forest and Grapevine.
My Name
Creative Statement
The film will be shot in my hometown, Beihai, Guangxi. Beihai is a small tropical seaside city that blends Southeast Asian and Lingnan cultures. People there mainly make a living from port shipping, fishing and tourism, and life moves at a slow, relaxed pace. The city's customs, food and architecture have been shaped by many cultural influences, yet in mixing together they have formed a style of their own. So I hope to start from the city itself and discover, capture and build an audiovisual style that belongs to this place.
Synopsis
Every time A Di introduces herself, she rehearses it many times in her head, then says with a self-mocking laugh: "My name is Chen Niandi ("longing for a little brother"), ha ha ha, and yes, I do have a little brother..." On her 18th birthday, A Di gains the right to change her name on her own, and she decides to do so. But the process is far harder than she imagined. Because her parents refuse to agree, she has to sneak the household register and her birth certificate out of the house. When she finally gathers the documents and goes to the police station, her application is rejected because her reason is not sufficient. Angry and humiliated, A Di tries to meet the criterion of "psychological harm caused by the name" and even goes to a psychiatric hospital, pretending to be mentally ill in the hope that a doctor will certify the harm. Not only do all her efforts come to nothing, but her grades, once among the best at school, collapse, and the boy she secretly likes seems to have something going on with another girl. Along the way, A Di grows closer to some odd but warm-hearted people: A Tian, a "shamate" youth who will defend his extravagant hairstyle at any cost; Xiaoxuan, a plump girl with a northeastern accent; and her mother, who is both familiar and a stranger to her.
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Running Time:
120 min -
Genre:
Drama, Coming-of-age, Women, Family
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Director/Screenwriter:
Li Jing -
Producer:
Liu Chang
About the Producer
Liu Chang: From Lu'an, Anhui, and a graduate of the Communication University of China. Producer of the short films Lily and Birch Forest and Grapevine.
Logline
A girl who wants to change her name, and a boy who will do anything to protect his hair.