Director: Jia Zhangke
Language: Mandarin
Director Jia Zhangke's latest film examines the 50-year history of a gigantic state-owned munitions factory complex in the city of Chengdu, southwest China, which is being demolished and replaced with a luxurious condo complex called 24 City. Interweaving interviews with former employees of the factory and fictional monologues by actors, the dialogue conveys the effect of the nation's rapidly changing economy on people's lives. Blurring the line between fiction and nonfiction, Jia beautifully captures a fading culture.