Cinema is where people connect.
After the successful launch of the Opening Screening at the Cinema in Battersea Power Station London on the 26th of May, Odyssey 2023 will charge on and showcase over 70 films online and offline across the country in June.
Linda Conroy joins us from Maynooth University in Ireland and she will share her thoughts on Odyssey 2023’s programme with 5 guest post articles.
“Hi, my name is Linda. I am a Chinese and Philosophy student at Maynooth University in Ireland. Each year the university runs an innovative Summer Programme for Undergraduate Research (SPUR) whereby students can work closely with faculty members. I am delighted to have been selected and will be jointly mentored by Dr Meishan Zhang of the Chinese Studies Department and Dr Hiu Man Chan of UK-China Film Collab. I will be assisting with her project: The Influence of Films on Students’ Chinese Language Learning Experience.
We are excited to collaborate with Odyssey 2023 on the project. This partnership provides us with a special chance to explore student engagement with film. As part of our pilot study, I will act as the case study student, selecting five films from each strand throughout the festival’s vibrant programme to review here on the blog.
As well as philosophy and languages, I also have an interest in the visual arts, holding a degree in Photography from Belfast School of Art.”
Strand: Equality
Film: Lesser Fullness of Grain
A visual delight, Lesser Fullness of Grain is a short film that explores love and personal growth from three distinctive perspectives. The quirky storytelling along with its palette of vibrant pastels, recalls the style of Wes Anderson. We meet our main stars, two brothers and their grandmother as they each prepare for May 20th, the Chinese date for celebrating love. The heartwarming narrative subtly challenges stereotypical expectations of gender, beauty, and ageing.
As a Chinese Studies student, the film introduced me to two significant events in the annual Chinese calendar. May 20th is a day that celebrates love, like Valentine’s Day. The reason for this date is that when the numbers 5.2.0 are pronounced in Mandarin, they sound similar to 我爱你 wǒ ài nǐ (I love you). In this short film, 520 coincides with the 8th solar term of the traditional Chinese lunar calendar. 小满 xiǎomǎn or Lesser Fullness of Grain is a time of year where small changes in the environment are observed when crops become plump but have not yet matured. I found the film’s title a fitting metaphor that serves as a reminder that we are constantly growing, no matter our age.
Watch the film now here until 30 June.
ABOUT ODYSSEY 2023
Cinema is where people connect.
60+ films, masterclasses, discussion panels and exclusive Q&As.
Odyssey is the biggest annual film festival in the UK, bridging curious audience with Greater China and overseas Chinese communities. The theme for 2023 is ‘Global Sustainability’.
Presented by UK-China Film Collab (UCFC)
Festival Date: 26 May – 30 June 2023
Format: Offline in Person and Online via Shift 72
Festival Website: odysseychinesecinema.uk
Instagram & Twitter Handle: @odysseyccs
Hashtags: #globalsustainability #odyssey2023 #ukchinafilm #peace
