Directors of documentaries talk about their work at SIFF

The crews of the five Golden Goblet Awards contenders in the Documentary category discussed their films at the 26th Shanghai International Film Festival's press conference on Friday.

Five documentary films, including "All and Nothing," "Geri's Wish," "Ms. Hu's Garden," "Requiem for a Tribe," and "The Landscape and the Fury," have been nominated for the film festival's top honors in the category.

"All and Nothing" is directed by Taiwanese filmmakers Chu Po-ying and Liao I-ling and follows the lonely journey of the late Chinese artist Li Yuan-chia, who founded the L.Y.C. Museum & Gallery in rural Cumbria.

According to Liao, the film was inspired by a trip to a museum in the United Kingdom around a decade before.

"We want to explore what the artist was pursuing along his journey from the East to the West," Liao said. "We found his diaries and some documents to unveil an unknown story about the artist, a lonely stranger there."

Director Chu hopes that this film will motivate viewers to consider the worth and meaning of life.

Iranian director Marjan Khosravi has won many awards for her short films about women's rights and social issues in Iran.

The seventh and first feature-length film of her career, "Requiem for a Tribe," examines the changes in the huge nomadic Bakhtiari tribe in southwestern Iran.

"It is a story about the big changes in my tribe," said Khosravi. "Many members of the tribe now go to other parts of the country. The film depicts the lives of the new generation, as well as the introduction of new culture into the tribe."

As a filmmaker, Khosravi aspires to preserve her tribe's traditions and culture while also advocating for women in her country. She conducted extensive research before shooting to discover a compelling story.

"Geri's Wish," a co-production between Finland and Bulgaria, tells the story of a Bulgarian girl who has just graduated from high school and is trying to figure out why her parents abandoned her so long ago.

The film's producer, Kaarle Aho, remarked that he had worked with director Tonislav Hristov for 16 years.

When the filmmaker approached him with the idea, Aho could almost see the plot, including its structure, characters, and conflicts.

"The story was very clear for me at the very beginning," Aho said. "It is a good and interesting subject."

"The Landscape and the Fury," shot in Ravnice's verdant woodland on Bosnia's northern edge, provides insights into local people's daily lives as well as the influences and wounds left by conflicts. It is a co-production between Switzerland and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Director Nicole Vögele says she frequently thinks about philosophical questions like "Where do we come from, where do we go, and where do we belong?" However, these questions remain unanswered.

"When you finish your film, you don't know where it will take you," said Vögele, explaining why attending film festivals is such a fascinating and enjoyable experience for her.

"Ms. Hu's Garden" is a narrative of love and redemption. In the Chinese documentary, Ms. Hu creates a floral paradise out of a pile of waste. She intends to rehabilitate herself and her son, who suffers from depression.

"Despite life's difficulties, Ms. Hu's kindness and optimism deeply touched me," said filmmaker Pan Zhiqi.

Pan enjoys telling stories about the lives and fates of everyday people. He believes that the dramatic developments of the era can overshadow their experiences.