City of Jade
Fall Grant 2014 - Post-Production Stage
Midi Z / Feature Documentary / Myanmar, Taiwan, Qatar / 2015 / 120 min / Colour / Original Language: Burmese, Chinese
Synopsis
When the war between the Myanmar army and the KIA broke out, the corporations fled the mines. Hundreds of thousands of workers flocked in, seizing the chance to make a fortune. Recently, my eldest brother was released from prison. He has recruited a group of workers, ready to make a comeback in the jade mines. Day and night, they live in a cycle of digging, eating and sleeping. The only thing on their minds is to find a jade stone that fetches a good price. My brother wants to make a fresh start, but the friends with whom he used to take drugs are back. Will the “city of jade” make these men rich overnight, or drag them back to the dark world of narcotics?
Credits
- Director
- Midi Z
- Producer
- Isabella Ho, Hsing-Hung Wang
- Production Company
- Seashore Image Productions
- Production Company
- Seashore Image Productions
About the Director
Born in Myanmar, Midi Z trained as an artist in Taiwan. His graduation film, ‘Paloma Blanca’, was acclaimed worldwide. His short film ‘Hua-xin Incident’ was produced by Hou Hsiao-hsien and Ang Lee. In 2011, Midi made his first feature, ‘Return to Burma’, which was in competition in the Rotterdam and Busan film festivals. His latest feature, ‘Ice Poison’, premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival in 2014, was named Best Film in Edinburgh and represented Taiwan in the Academy Awards. He has also won several prizes for his screenplays. ‘City of Jade’ is his first documentary.
Awards and Festival History
Festivals
Berlinale 2016, Forum (WP)
Vienna International Film Festival 2016
Hong Kong International Film Festival 2016
Best Original Film Score and Best Documentary nomination, Go;lden Horse Awards 2016
Outstanding Artistic Contribution (Music), Taipei Film Festival 2016
Best Documentary Festure Film nominee, Asia Pacific Screen Awards 2016