Di yi ci de li bie

A First Farewell | Ein erster Abschied
‘As long as Isa is in your pictures, you’ll never be apart. You can always be together in your pictures.’

Deep in northwestern China, surrounded by cotton fields and desert, lies the Uyghur village that Isa calls home. When he is not at school or working on his parents’ farmyard, he spends carefree days with his friends – until the outside world starts forcing him to say one goodbye after another. With Isa’s mother’s illness placing an increasing burden on the family, his father considers putting her in a care home, far away from the village. Isa’s best friend Kalbinur is getting bad grades, and is about to be sent to a faraway Chinese school. And then the little lamb, which the two children had been looking after with devotion ever since it was born, disappears. Captured in naturalistic imagery, winter closes in on Isa’s world.
by Wang Lina
with Isa Yasan, Kalbinur Rahmati, Alinaz Rahmati, Musa Yasan, Yasan Kamisu, Ugulem Sugur, Tajigul Heilmeier, Rahmati Kuramu, Kuramu Kasimu
People’s Republic of China 2018 Uighur, Mandarin 86’ Colour empfohlen ab 7 Jahren

With

  • Isa Yasan (Isa)
  • Kalbinur Rahmati (Kalbinur)
  • Alinaz Rahmati (Kalbinur’s Brother)
  • Musa Yasan (Isa’s Brother)
  • Yasan Kamisu (Isa’s Father)
  • Ugulem Sugur (Isa’s Mother)
  • Tajigul Heilmeier (Kalbinur’s Mother)
  • Rahmati Kuramu (Kalbinur’s Father)
  • Kuramu Kasimu (Kalbinur’s Grandfather)

Crew

Written and Directed by Wang Lina
Cinematography Li Yong
Editing Matthieu Laclau
Music Wenzi
Sound Design Li Danfeng
Costumes Wang Lina
Casting Wang Lina
Executive Producer Qin Xiaoyu
Producers Qin Xiaoyu, Cai Qingzeng
Production Manager Pan Zhiyong
Co-Producers Chen Fei, Gao Li, Liu Hui, Xiang Huaquan, Xu Chuantong, Patrick Mao Huang
Co-Production Tencent Pictures Cultural Media Shanghai
Khorgos Mgtv.com Interactive Media Xinjiang
Beijing Medoc Film Peking
Shanghai Bridgestream Shanghai
Emei Film Group Sichuan

World sales

Flash Forward Entertainment

Produced by

Shanghai Eternity Media & Culture

Wang Lina

Born in the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region in 1987, she graduated with a master’s degree from the Communication University of China in Beijing. Di yi ci de li bie (A First Farewell) is her debut film; it won the Best Asian Future Film Award at the Tokyo International Film Festival.

Filmography

2018 Di yi ci de li bie (A First Farewell)

Bio- & filmography as of Berlinale 2019