Featuring critically-acclaimed films and festival favourites, Releases is dedicated to screening the best and most promising of contemporary Asian cinema.

SOUTHEAST ASIAN PREMIERE
Original Title: 沃土
Director: Wang Xiaoshuai
Runtime: 123 minutes
Country: China, Netherlands
Language: Mandarin with English subtitles
Rating: M18

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Full Synopsis

Considered a rebel veteran of Chinese independent filmmaking, Wang Xiaoshuai’s latest inventive family drama is a poignant portrait of 10-year-old Wo Tu (whose name means fertile land), and his dreams of having a water pistol toy just like the other boys in the village. His father, who works on a construction project in the city, breaks his promise of bringing back the toy. However, Wo Tu’s dying grandfather assures him that his wish will be granted once he becomes a ghost. As he copes with familial loss and his father’s absence, Wo Tu encounters his deceased grandfather in dreams, navigating the village’s historical changes under Maoist policies. Soon, the boundaries between reality and dreams, past and present, become increasingly blurred.

Spanning three generations of a family and set against the terraced hills of Gansu Province,  the film acts as a resonant parable of what China has lost in its drive for modernisation. Described as a magic realist children’s fable, this sympathetic tale has been compared to Abbas Kiarostami’s breakout film, Where Is The Friend’s House? (1987), where Wang similarly uses one country boy’s stubborn, single-minded quest to meditate on the fragility of a rural landscape and its distracted inhabitants.

Screening Dates 

Sunday, 14 July, 5pm

Saturday, 10 August, 5pm

Saturday, 31 August, 5pm

Friday, 6 September, 8pm

Tickets for Above the Dust are now on sale. Scroll down to select the screening of your choice and click through to purchase tickets.

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Important Notice:

Do note that Oldham Theatre operates on a free seating arrangement. Doors will open 20 minutes before showtime so arrive early to choose a seat and avoid disrupting the screenings as AFA does not play ads and screenings will start promptly.

All patrons are encouraged to purchase your tickets online. If you choose to purchase tickets or merchandise at Oldham Theatre’s box office, cashless payment is preferred.
Measures will be taken to ensure the health and safety of all patrons at Oldham Theatre. Mask-wearing is optional as of 29 August 2022.

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T&Cs
Concession tickets apply to Students (Local & Overseas), Full-time National Servicemen (NSF), Senior Citizens (55 years and above) only.

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