Wolf Totem (3D) (Le Dernier Loup)
Ajyal Competition
Jean-Jacques Annaud / Feature Narrative / China, France / 2015 / 118 min / Colour / DCP2K
In Mandarin, Mongolian / Arabic, English subtitles
Interests: Adventure, Family
MENA Premiere
Synopsis
When China launched its Cultural Revolution in the mid-1960s, its intent was to realign the nation with the tenets of Chairman Mao Zedong’s vision of communist ideology. The movement resulted in the persecution of millions and was an economic and political disaster. Based on the semi-autobiographical novel of the same name by Lu Jiamin, ‘Wolf Totem’ takes a critical look at the impact of the policies of the Cultural Revolution in a small rural community.
Chen Zhen and Yang Ke, two university students from Beijing, arrive in a remote village, happy to escape the harsh life of the city. Tasked with modernising the skills of the local shepherds, they quickly settle into the rhythm of daily life on the plains. When the regional Communist Party representatives determine that the local wolf population must be purged in order to protect the livestock, Chen Zhen and Yang Ke find themselves inadvertently involved in the potential destruction of the ecosystem where the Mongolian people have lived in harmony with nature for centuries.
Narrow in focus but much wider in scope, ‘Wolf Totem’ functions as a modern cautionary tale that warns against meddling with the environment – all set against the magnificence of the steppes of Inner Mongolia.
Credits
- Director
- Jean-Jacques Annaud
- Screenwriter
- Jean-Jacques Annaud, Alain Godard, John Collee, Lu Wei
- Producer
- Zhang Qiang, Jean-Jacques Annaud, Xavier Castano, Bill Kong
- Editor
- Reynald Bertrand
- Music
- James Horner
- Cinematographer
- Jean-Marie Dreujou
- Sales Company
- Wild Bunch
- Production Company
- China Film Group, Edko Films Ltd, Reperage, Loull Production
- Distributor
- Teleview International
- Cast
- Shaofeng Feng, Shawn Dou, Ankhnyam Ragchaa, Yin Zhusheng, Basen Zhabu, Baoyingexige