Zhang Yudi
Winner Profile
Best Directorial Debut
Director, Voice Breaking
Jury Citation
The distinctive appeal of Voice Breaking lies in how it inherits and renews traditional opera. Director Zhang Yudi takes "daocang", the change of voice Peking Opera performers go through in adolescence, as a point of entry, and with fresh, fluent storytelling tells of young people's transformation, growth and self-discovery, using contemporary expression to bring new life to cultural heritage.
Voice Breaking: Synopsis
"Daocang", the breaking of an opera performer's voice, marks the start of adulthood, an inevitable change in life and the first sincere stirrings of youthful feeling. Opera school student Sun Xiaolei (Bian Cheng) is facing the first important competition of his life. His voice has still not broken, which makes him anxious, and his father's (Liu Jun) long-held hopes leave him afraid of "daocang". While preparing for the competition, Xiaolei unexpectedly befriends two rivals: Shi Jiahui (Zhou Meijun), a tomboyish girl who sings laosheng (old-man) roles, and Xie Tianci (Chen Shaoxi), who comes from a renowned Peking Opera family. How will these young people break free of lives already mapped out for them, and how will they face hidden currents of feeling? The youth of these opera students takes the stage.