About the Director

Zhang Lu was born in Jilin-Sheng, China

China

Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...

 in 1962. He studied Chinese literature at Yenben University and began writing poetry and novels in 1986. He made his feature debut with 'Tang Poetry' in 2004, and his second feature film, 'Grain in Ear', was invited to the 2005 Critics’ Week in Cannes

Cannes

Cannes is one of the best-known cities of the French Riviera, a busy tourist destination and host of the annual Cannes Film Festival. It is a Commune of France in the Alpes-Maritimes department....

, where it won the ACID/CCAS Support Award. 'Dooman River' is his fifth feature film.

Synopsis

Writer-director Zhang Lu’s fascinating window into a rarely seen corner of rural China revolves around 12-year-old Chang-ho, living with his grandfather and mute sister along the frozen river-border with North Korea. Although fraught with unemployment and other tensions, his community seems sympathetic toward the Korean refugees fleeing famine and misery; Chang-ho even bonds over soccer with one young border-crosser who comes scavenging food for a sibling. But he soon turns on his new friend as suspicions mount against the illegal immigrants and his sister reels from unexpected aggression, provoking a quandary over his loyalties in an exquisitely detailed story of compassion and strife across an uneasy geopolitical border.

Cast

• Cui Jian - Chang-ho
• Yin Lan - Soon-hee
• Lin Jinglin - Jeong-jin
• Lin Jinlong - Grandfather
• Jin Xuansheng - Chul-bu

Global Lens 2011 series

The film is featured in the Global Lens 2011 film series, sponsored by The Global Film Initiative. Global Lens is an annual program of eight to ten narrative films from around the world. Each year, the series premieres at MoMa and then tours throughout the United States and Canada. Global Lens 2011 includes eight other award-winning narrative feature films from Argentina, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Brazil, Georgia, India, Iran, Kyrgyzstan and Uruguay. Check Global Lens 2011 film calendar for current screenings throughout the United States.

Reviews

• “…it's rare to find a film the blends the talent of several different nations. But just as the real-life Dooman River bridges the gap between China and North Korea, the film revolving around the well-known landmark merges the talent of both countries to tell a story centered in one of the most dangerous immigration zones in the world.”-Asian Movie Pulse

• "Such closing antics are unfortunately too little, too late, in a film whose best moments offer up a docu-style depiction of life in a village that's far removed from China's industrialized economy, and whose small, joyless population survives on the occasional fish delivery, or on monies sent home by relatives working in the south. While the starving Koreans are much worse off, the Chinese seem to be barely scraping by, and the frontier that separates the two groups turns out to be smaller than it appears." -Variety

• "A must see." -YNot at the Movies

2011

• Government of Maharashtra
  Maharashtra
  Maharashtra is a state located in India. It is the second most populous after Uttar Pradesh and third largest state by area in India...
  
   Prabhat - Best International Film Award
• Berlin International Film Festival
  Berlin International Film Festival
  The Berlin International Film Festival , also called the Berlinale, is one of the world's leading film festivals and most reputable media events. It is held in Berlin, Germany. Founded in West Berlin in 1951, the festival has been celebrated annually in February since 1978...
  
   - Generation 14 Plus Selection

2010

• Pusan International Film Festival
  Pusan International Film Festival
  Busan International Film Festival , held annually in Haeundae-gu, Busan , South Korea, is one of the most significant film festivals in Asia...
  
   - Netpac Award
• Paris Cinema International Film Festival - Jury Prize
• Pune International Film Festival - Best International Film
• East & West International Film Festival - Best Director, Best Actress
• Berling International Film Festival - Crystal Bear, Special Mention, Generation Section