WATERMARKS (2013)

Three letters from China

Luc Schaedler | go between films
CH 2013 | 73 min | de, en, fr, zh

Synopsis

Based on three different places, «Watermarks» portrays the infractions to which people living in modern day China are subjected due to rapid developments. We learn of the deceptively idyllic Jiuxiancun in the rainy south; of the apocalyptic coal mining site of Minqin and Wusutu in the parched north; and of Chongqing, the megacity on the Yangtze River.

Trailer «Watermarks»

The protagonists give their moving accounts of an unresolved past, an uncertain present and their tentative steps into the future. The film thus paints a complex image of the mental state of the people in this complicated country. “Watermarks” is a subjective snapshot in time that takes a poetic look at the changing everyday life in China.

Statement Director

«Since the crushing of the democracy movement in 1989, I have followed the upheaval in China with equal parts amazement and irritation: the country looks like a huge construction site and seems to be involved in a precipitous search for itself. In this unstable present the protagonists are taking tentative but courageous steps into the future.» – Luc Schaedler

Festivals | Awards

– Semaine de la critique, Locarno (Competition)
– Planete+Doc, Varsovie (Competition)
– DOK.fest Munich (Compétition)
– Intl. Filmfestival San Francisco – Nomination au «Golden Gate Awards» (Competition)
– Silk Road Film Festival , Dublin (Best Documentary)
– TRT Awards, Istanbul (Bes Documentary)

Map of China