All the Crows in the World

Last updated
All the Crows in the World
Directed byTang Yi
Written byTang Yi
Produced byLi Haozheng
Starring
  • Xuanyu Chen
  • Baohe Xue
  • Shujun Huang
  • Zhengyi Liu
  • Ge Wu
Music byLemon Guo
Production
company
Fresh Wave
Distributed byPremium Films
Release dates
  • June 13, 2021 (Hong Kong)
  • July 16, 2021 (France)
  • July 25, 2022 (United States)
Running time
14 minutes
CountryHong Kong
LanguageMandarin

All the Crows in the World is a 2021 Hong Kong short drama film, directed and written by Tang Yi. The film stars Xuanyu Chen, Baohe Xue, ShuJun Huang, Zengyi Liu, and Ge Wu. The 14-minute film was screened at the Fresh Wave International Short Film Festival, the Winterthur International Short Film Festival, the New York Asian Film Festival, the Mulan International Film Festival, and the Molodist Kyiv International Film Festival. The film won Best Screenplay [1] and Best Director [2] at the Fresh Wave International Short Film Festival, as well as Best Film at the 74th Cannes Film Festival. The story follows an 18-year-old school girl named Shengnan as she adventures into the night of the adults' world. [3]

Contents

Plot

The film is set in Hong Kong opens with two girls sitting together eating bowls of sweet potato soup. The girls overhear a married man purchasing the services of a prostitute, one girl is named Shengnan Zhao (Xuanyu Chen), and she begins to time him and they place bets with her friend Lily (Zhengyi Liuon) on how long he will last in bed with her. Suddenly a man with a megaphone comes up and informs Shengnan that her cousin (Shujun Huang) has invited her to dinner.

While walking to meet her cousin for dinner, Shengnan becomes aware of three men behind her staring at her. Feeling uncomfortable, she lets out an awkward yell and runs off to meet her cousin. As she enters the restaurant she sees Jianguo Wang (Baohe Xue). They share an awkward stare, and Shengnan zips up her hoodie.

When Shengnan gets to the table with her cousin singing for many businessmen, Shengnan joins and begins singing awkwardly. Her cousin begins to tell the many businessmen including Jianguo Wang about her academic success and how well she is doing in school. All the men rush to give Shengnan red envelopes with money inside, except Jianguo Wang who places his on the rotating center and spins it towards Shengnan. Jianguo notices the head businessman; Mr. Liu's food has arrived and all the men back off from Shengnan as she zips up her hoodie all the way. Mr. Liu begins to mention her virginity and asks her about her horoscope to set her up with his son. She reveals she's had boyfriends before and has broken up with them due to them getting in the way of her academics as well as their poor sexual performance. Shocked, the businessmen look to the Taoist priest (Junjie Shi) sitting with them. The priest informs them informs them that as long as they have her luck and the horoscope matches they will be okay, and all the businessmen laugh it off. The priest ends the dinner by blessing them and wishing them good luck in their business.

The group proceeds to go to a mix of a brothel and club. As the women introduce themselves to the men and call them daddies, Shengnan notices her friend Lily is also among this group of sex workers. In the club, Shengnan sits with Jianguo Wang to feel more comfortable. The businessmen get excited and begin to howl and hoot like monkeys, while Jianguo Wang howls but more like a wolf.

Shengnan gets a red money packet from her cousin as she prepares to leave. As her cousin is leaving, she notices numerous male workers leaving Jianguo's room and describes him as picky. Shengnan sits with Jianguo and thanks him for being so nice and attempts to hand him a red money packet but he refuses it. Jianguo begins to tell her about his struggles in life, revealing he had hair transplant surgery, and while he does this Shengnan hands him a money packet. Suddenly Jianguo snaps. He is wearing wings and as he begins to do an expressive dance to the song "Disappointing" by John Grant ft. Tracey Thorn, Shengnan quickly joins in.

Jianguo offers to show Shengnan something fun, and he takes her to a parking garage. In the garage they see her cousin having sex in a car telling her partner to call her mama and grandma. The pair go up to the glass and flash a flashlight shouting "Police!", before running off. Jianguo runs off, exclaiming all heterosexuals must die. Shengnan returns to the same spot where she had soup with Lily in the beginning and Jianguo joins them. As they are all eating soup, Jianguo notices a man and it appears to be love at first sight. Shengnan gives Jianguo money and asks him to be safe. The two men take deep breaths, taking in each other's scent before going off. Shengnan times the men similar to how she timed the couple at the film's beginning. [4]

Production

All the Crows in the World was made by Tang Yi, a New York University film student from Hong Kong. [5]

Funding

In her acceptance speech for the Palme d’Or for Best Short Film at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival, Tang Yi mentions the limited budget for this film. She thanked Fresh Wave and the Hong Kong Arts Development Council for providing the money that made filming possible without significant financial pressure. [6]

All the Crows in the World was first showcased in Hong Kong on July 16, 2021, during the 15th Annual Fresh Wave International Short Film Festival local competition, which offers selected candidates a subsidy of one hundred thousand Hong Kong Dollars for the production of a short film. [7]

Release

The film was first released on June 13, 2021 in Hong Kong at the Fresh Wave International Film Festival. It was then released in France on July 16, 2021 at the Cannes Film Festival, in Switzerland on November 10, 2021 at the Winterthur International Short Film Festival, in the United States on July 25, 2022 at the New York Asian Film Festival, in Canada on August 12, 2022 at the Mulan International Film Festival, and in Ukraine on December 2, 2022 at the Molodist Kyiv International Film Festival. [8]

Home release

The film is available to watch on the streaming services Amazon Prime Video, [9] The Criterion Channel, [10] Kanopy, [11] and MUBI. [12] It is also available to rent and buy on the video sharing platform Vimeo. [13]

Cast

The short film stars Xuanyu Chen alongside Baohe Xue, Shujun Huang, Zhengyi Liu, and Ge Wu. Xuanyu Chen is a freelance actor who plays Shengnan Zhao in the short film, her character is the main protagonist of the film who is a high school girl who experiences the "surreal world of sexist men and their many toxic delights". [14] Xuanyu Chen is also known for her roles in Quan jinshu liehen (2016), Xi huan gao xing ai (2023) and The Night Rain South Township (2023). [15] [16] The actor Baohe Xue who portrays Jianguo Wang is also known for his roles in Day Tripper (2023), The Hammer and Sickle Are Sleeping (2013) and A Sweet Life (2019). [17]

Awards

Enrolled in Hong Kong's 15th Fresh Wave International Short Film Festival, registered under the local competition section, director, screenwriter, and cinematographer Tang Yi's film All the Crows in the World merited the Best Screenplay [2] and Best Director [1] awards on June 27, 2021. [18] On July 17th, 2021, at the 74th Cannes Film Festival in France, director Tang Yi received the annual Palme d'Or award for best short film. [5] [19] [20]

On March 15, 2022, Tang was presented with the Grand Jury Award as her film was the distinguished winner in the Narrative Short Competition hosted by the 29th South by Southwest (SXSW) Film Festival in Texas. [21] In December of that year, the 51st Kyiv International Film Festival "Molodist" competition deemed her film the "Best International Short Film". [22]

In November 25, 2023, the 16th TorinoFilmLab event held in Turin, Italy, awarded Tang a grant as well as the EWA Network Female Voices Award, associated with the European Women's Audiovisual Network, which is given "to one female writer/director." [23]

Awards

All the Crows in the World received a "nomination certificate" from the 58th Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival in Taiwan as the film was considered for the 2021 division for Best Live Action Short Film. [24]

YearOrganizationAwardResultSource
202115th Fresh Wave International Short Film FestivalBest Screenplay; Best DirectorWon [2] [1]
2021 74th Cannes Film Festival Palme d'Or Won [25] [26] [27] [28]
202158th Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival Best Live Action Short FilmNominated [29]
202229th South by Southwest Film Festival Jury Award in Narrative ShortsWon [30]
202251st Molodist Kyiv International Film Festival Best International Short FilmWon [22]
202316th Torino Film Lab Meeting Event EWA Network Female Voices AwardWon [31]

Critical response

In the audience rating[ dubious – discuss ] section of IMDb, Tang's short film stands at 6.1 out of 10, averaging from 490 posted viewer reviews. [3] On the site Douban, the film is rated out of 10 and listed at a 5.5; thus, a three-star average is based on 8,208 reviews. [32]

The five judges, which included May Fung representing the 15th Fresh Wave local competition, shared that the film screenplay provided "a sharp sense of humor in challenging and satirizing the absurd society." [33] [34] They positively addressed that the short's directing "conveys much liveliness through acting, photography and art direction." [35] SXSW 2022 Film Festival judging panel involved Mohammad Gorjestani, and two other individuals gave the film an esteemed review, expressing that it "reminded us of the power of short-form cinema as a stand-alone art form on its own." [36]

The film has been described as a "a burning satire of contemporary Chinese culture, its paradoxes and hypocritical nature." [37] and praised for being "(s)mart, bold and inventive in its blend of different tropes". [38] In a more mixed review at The China Project, Catherine Zauhar praises the overall economy of the plot as follows: "The film succeeds where so many short films fail: at trusting the viewer to recognize the multitude of backstories that hide behind the central narrative." [39]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hirokazu Kore-eda</span> Japanese filmmaker

Hirokazu Kore-eda is a Japanese film director, producer, screenwriter, and editor. He began his career in television and has since directed more than a dozen feature films, including Nobody Knows (2004), Still Walking (2008), and After the Storm (2016). He won the Jury Prize at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival for Like Father, Like Son and won the Palme d'Or at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival for Shoplifters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jane Campion</span> New Zealand film director, screenwriter and producer

Dame Elizabeth Jane Campion is a New Zealand filmmaker. She is best known for writing and directing the critically acclaimed films The Piano (1993) and The Power of the Dog (2021), for which she has received two Academy Awards, two BAFTA Awards, and two Golden Globe Awards. Campion was appointed a Dame Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit (DNZM) in the 2016 New Year Honours, for services to film.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Palme d'Or</span> Highest prize awarded at the Cannes Film Festival

The Palme d'Or is the highest prize awarded at the Cannes Film Festival. It was introduced in 1955 by the festival's organizing committee. Previously, from 1939 to 1954, the festival's highest prize was the Grand Prix du Festival International du Film. In 1964, the Palme d'Or was replaced again by the Grand Prix, before being reintroduced in 1975.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Johnnie To</span> Hong Kong film director (born 1955)

John To Kei-fung is a Hong Kong film director, screenwriter and film producer. Popular in his native Hong Kong, To has also found acclaim overseas. Intensely prolific, To has made films in a variety of genres, though in the West he is best known for his action and crime movies, which have earned him critical respect and a cult following, which includes American filmmaker Quentin Tarantino.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hou Hsiao-hsien</span> Taiwanese director, actor (born 1947)

Hou Hsiao-hsien is a retired Mainland Chinese-born Taiwanese film director, screenwriter, producer and actor. He is a leading figure in world cinema and in Taiwan's New Wave cinema movement. He won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival in 1989 for his film A City of Sadness (1989), and the Best Director award at the Cannes Film Festival in 2015 for The Assassin (2015). Other highly regarded works of his include The Puppetmaster (1993) and Flowers of Shanghai (1998).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1994 Cannes Film Festival</span>

The 47th Cannes Film Festival was held from 12 to 23 May 1994. The Palme d'Or went to the American film Pulp Fiction directed by Quentin Tarantino.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cristian Mungiu</span> Romanian filmmaker

Cristian Mungiu is a Romanian filmmaker. He won the Palme d'Or at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival for his film 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days, which he wrote and directed. He has also won the awards for Best Screenplay and Best Director, at the 2012 and 2016 Cannes Film Festivals, for his films Beyond the Hills and Graduation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Short Film Palme d'Or</span> Award

The Short Film Palme d'Or is the highest prize given to a short film at the Cannes Film Festival. Since the creation of the Cinéfondation section in 1998, a common Official Jury awards the Short Film Palme d'Or as well as the prizes for the three best films of the Cinéfondation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2000 Cannes Film Festival</span>

The 53rd Cannes Film Festival started on 14 May and ran until 25 May 2000. French film director, screenwriter, and producer Luc Besson was the Jury President. The Palme d'Or went to the Danish film Dancer in the Dark by Lars von Trier.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yorgos Lanthimos</span> Greek filmmaker (born 1973)

Georgios "Yorgos" Lanthimos is a Greek filmmaker. He has received multiple accolades, including a British Academy Film Award and a Golden Globe Award as well as nominations for six Academy Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ruben Östlund</span> Swedish film director and screenwriter (born 1974)

Ruben Östlund is a Swedish filmmaker best known for his black comedic and satirical films Force Majeure (2014), The Square (2017) and Triangle of Sadness (2022). He is the recipient of various accolades, including two Palmes d'Or, four European Film Awards and nominations for three Academy Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2011 Cannes Film Festival</span> Film festival

The 64th Cannes Film Festival was held from 11 to 22 May 2011. American actor Robert De Niro served as the president of the jury for the main competition and French filmmaker Michel Gondry headed the jury for the short film competition. South Korean film director Bong Joon-ho was the head of the jury for the Caméra d'Or prize, which is awarded to the best first-time filmmaker. The American film The Tree of Life, directed by Terrence Malick won the Palme d'Or.

<i>Waves 98</i> 2015 Lebanese film

Waves '98 is a 2015 animated, live-action short film written and directed by Lebanese artist and filmmaker Ely Dagher. It was awarded the Short Film Palme d'Or at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ely Dagher</span>

Ely Dagher is a Lebanese director, screenwriter and artist known for his short film Waves '98 and most recently his first feature film The Sea Ahead which had its premiere at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival

Celine Held is an American and British film director, writer, and actress. Her debut feature film Topside, co-directed with her partner Logan George, premiered at the 77th Venice International Film Festival. Her short film Caroline that she co-wrote, co-directed and starred in, was nominated for the Short Film Palme d'Or at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival. Her additional short film work has premiered at Sundance Film Festival and at South by Southwest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2021 Cannes Film Festival</span> Film festival

The 74th annual Cannes Film Festival took place from 6 to 17 July 2021, after having been originally scheduled from 11 to 22 May 2021. American director Spike Lee was invited to be the head of the jury for the festival for a second time, after the COVID-19 pandemic in France scuttled plans to have him head the jury of the 2020 Cannes Film Festival.

Logan George is an American film director, writer, and editor. George works exclusively with his partner, Celine Held, as a co-writer and co-director. His debut feature film Topside premiered at the 77th Venice International Film Festival. His short film work has been nominated for the Short Film Palme d'Or at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival, and has premiered at Sundance Film Festival and Telluride Film Festival.

<i>Rehana Maryam Noor</i> 2021 Bangladeshi film

Rehana Maryam Noor is a 2021 Bangladeshi film. The film is directed by Abdullah Mohammad Saad and produced by Ehsanul Haque (Babu) under the banner of Metro Video and co-produced by Sensemakers Productions. The film is about the struggling life of a 37-year-old assistant professor of a medical college. It was internationally distributed by German-based sales and distribution company Films Boutique. In 2021, it was selected in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival. It is the first Bangladeshi film to be featured in this category. It was selected as the Bangladeshi entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 94th Academy Awards. Rehana Maryam Noor bagged two awards at Asia Pacific Screen Awards. The director of the film Abdullah Mohammad Saad bagged the Jury Grand Prize and actress Azmeri Haque Badhon bagged award in Best Performance by an Actress category.

<i>Tori and Lokita</i> 2022 Belgian drama film

Tori and Lokita, is a 2022 Belgian-French drama film written, directed and produced by Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne. The film premiered at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival on 24 May 2022, where it competed for the Palme d'Or and won the festival's special 75th Anniversary Award.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Fresh Wave International Short Film Festival Director". Fresh Wave Hong Kong (in English and Chinese). Retrieved 2023-12-01.
  2. 1 2 3 "Fresh Wave International Short Film Festival Screenplay". Fresh Wave Hong Kong (in English and Chinese). Retrieved 2023-12-01.
  3. 1 2 "IMDb Ratings". SXSW Festival. 15 March 2022. Retrieved 2023-12-03.
  4. ↑ "All the Crows in the World". The Criterion Channel. Retrieved 2023-11-19.
  5. 1 2 "Tang Yi wins short film award". Shenzhen Daily. July 19, 2021. ProQuest   2552757975 . Retrieved 2023-12-24– via ProQuest.
  6. ↑ "2021 Palme d'Or for Short Film". X. Retrieved 2023-11-29.
  7. ↑ "【The 13th Fresh Wave International Short Film Festival】" (PDF). Fresh Wave. Retrieved 2023-11-29.
  8. ↑ Tang, Yi (2022-07-25), Tian xia wu ya (Short, Comedy), Xuanyu Chen, Baohe Xue, retrieved 2023-12-04
  9. ↑ "Prime Video: All the Crows in the World". www.primevideo.com. Retrieved 2023-12-04.
  10. ↑ "All the Crows in the World". The Criterion Channel. Retrieved 2023-12-04.
  11. ↑ "Kanopy – Stream Classic Cinema, Indie Film and Top Documentaries". www.kanopy.com. Retrieved 2023-12-04.
  12. ↑ Watch All the Crows in the World (2021) on MUBI , retrieved 2023-12-04
  13. ↑ Films, Premium (2022-03-29), Watch ALL THE CROWS IN THE WORLD Online | Vimeo On Demand , retrieved 2023-12-04
  14. ↑ Catherine, Zauhar (6 August 2022). "All the Crows in the World". MCLC RESOURCE CENTER. The Ohio State University. Retrieved 2023-12-04.
  15. ↑ "All the Crows in the World". Mulan International Film Festival. Retrieved 2023-12-04.
  16. ↑ "All the 74th Festival de Cannes Awards". Festival de Cannes. 17 July 2021. Retrieved 2023-12-04.
  17. ↑ "Baohe Xue". IMDb. Retrieved 2023-12-04.
  18. ↑ "15th Fresh Wave International Short Film Festival" (PDF). Fresh Wave (in English and Chinese). Retrieved 2023-12-01.
  19. ↑ "2021 Cannes Film Festival Screening". Festival de Cannes. 17 July 2021. Retrieved 2023-11-30.
  20. ↑ "The Palme d'Or". Festival de Cannes. Retrieved 2023-11-30.
  21. ↑ "2022 SXSW Film Festival Winners". SXSW Festival. 15 March 2022. Retrieved 2023-12-01.
  22. 1 2 "Стали відомі переможці 51-ої "Молодості"". Кінофестиваль Молодість (in Ukrainian).
  23. ↑ "TFL Meeting Event 2023". TFL Meeting Event 2023. Retrieved 2023-12-01.
  24. ↑ "Golden Horse Film Festival". Golden Horse Awards (in English and Chinese (Taiwan)). Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival Executive Committee. Retrieved 2023-12-01.
  25. ↑ "The Jury & Selection". 74th Cannes. 17 July 2021. Retrieved 2023-12-04.
  26. ↑ Soriano, Jianne. "Cannes 2021: Hong Kong Movie 'All The Crows In The World' Wins Short Film Palme D'Or". Tatler Asia. Retrieved 2023-12-05.
  27. ↑ Leung, Jenny (2021-07-19). "Hong Kong film All the Crows in the World wins best short film award at Cannes Film Festival 2021". Time Out Hong Kong. Retrieved 2023-12-05.
  28. ↑ Hipes, Patrick (2021-07-27). "Cannes Short Film Palme d'Or Winner Tang Yi Signs With WME". Deadline. Retrieved 2023-12-05.
  29. ↑ "Golden Horse Film Festival". Golden Horse Awards (in English and Chinese (Taiwan)). Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival Executive Committee. Retrieved 2023-12-04.
  30. ↑ "2022 SXSW Film Festival Winners". SXSW Festival. 15 March 2022. Retrieved 2023-12-04.
  31. ↑ "TFL Meeting Event 2023". TFL Meeting Event 2023. Retrieved 2023-12-01.
  32. ↑ "Douban". Movie Douban (in Chinese). Retrieved 2023-12-03.
  33. ↑ "Fresh Wave International Short Film Festival Screenplay". Fresh Wave Hong Kong (in English and Chinese). Retrieved 2023-12-03.
  34. ↑ "15th Fresh Wave International Short Film Festival" (PDF). Fresh Wave (in English and Chinese). Retrieved 2023-12-03.
  35. ↑ "Fresh Wave International Short Film Festival Director". Fresh Wave Hong Kong (in English and Chinese). Retrieved 2023-12-03.
  36. ↑ "2022 SXSW Film Festival Jury". SXSW Festival. 15 March 2022. Retrieved 2023-12-03.
  37. ↑ Lukanov, Martin (2022-05-26). "Short Film Review: All the Crows in the World (2021) by Tang Yi". Asian Movie Pulse. Retrieved 2023-12-05.
  38. ↑ Richter, Marina D. (2022-02-26). "Winterthur review: All the Crows in the World (2021)". ubiquarian. Retrieved 2023-12-05.
  39. ↑ Zauhar, Catherine (2022-08-05). "Palme d'Or-winning short film 'All the Crows in the World'". The China Project. Retrieved 2023-12-05.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.