A THOUSAND YEARS OF GOOD PRAYERS

USA/2007/Mandarin, Persian & English dialogue with English subtitles/Colour/35mm/83 mins

Dignified and quiet Mr. Shi (Henry O) arrives in Spokane, Washington to visit his daughter, Yilan (Faye Yu), whom he has not seen for 12 years. Yilan resents what she feels will be his meddling in the affair of her failed marriage, and finds excuses to leave her father alone in her apartment. In desperation, he begins to visit a local park, where he meets Madam (Vida Ghahremani), an older Iranian woman living with her son. These two lonely souls communicate perfectly, despite their language barrier. Yilan eventually is forced to relate to her father, and is surprised by what she discovers.

“Named Best Film at the 2007 San Sebastian Film Festival, where Henry O took Best Actor, this is a thoughtful, meditative and spare story from Chinese–American director Wayne Wang (whose The Princess of Nebraska screens in DIFF’s Cinema of the World selection). The dynamic of father and daughter, and the inability to communicate with family members, carry a universal resonance. Wang expresses the pain of old age, of feeling unwelcome in your child’s home, and the melancholy that so often afflicts immigrants.” – Hannah Fisher

Starring : Pavel Lounguine, Henri O, Faye Yu, Vida Ghahremani
Director(s) :

Wayne Wang

WAYNE WANG was born in 1949 in Hong Kong and studied film and television at the California College of Arts and Crafts in Oakland. His films include Chan Is Missing (1982), Dim Sum: A Little Bit of Heart (1985), Slam Dance (1987), Eat a Bowl of Tea (1989), The Joy Luck Club (1993), Smoke (1995; named Best Foreign Film at the German Film Awards), Blue in the Face (1995), The Center of the World (2001) and Because of Winn-Dixie (2005).
Crew : , Rich Cowan(Producer), Lee Joo-Ick(Producer), Yukie Kito(Producer), Yasushi Kotani(Producer), Juan A. Mas(Producer), Taizo Son (Producer), Yiyun Li(Scriptwriter), Patrick Lindenmaier(Cinematographer), Deidre Slevin(Editor)
Format : 83 mins
Country : United States
Programme : The Cultural Bridge
Venue : Mall of the Emirates - CineStar 8, Mall of the Emirates - CineStar 8, Mall of the Emirates - CineStar 8
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