Kai Shi De Qiang

She Sat There Like All Ordinary Ones
Zhuang is a late bloomer. When he first meets his classmate Meng, a talented long-distance runner, he rashly and spontaneously takes the blame for her theft of a starting pistol. But before they can get to know each other better, Meng gives him the cold shoulder. Confused, Zhuang decides to join Meng’s track team, even though this leaves him with less time for studying. Academic pressure is added to the puzzles of adolescence. Zhuang plans to surprise everyone with a bold gesture. He is just waiting for the right moment...
by Qu Youjia
with Zhang Taiwen, Miao Jijun
People’s Republic of China 2024 Mandarin 105’ Colour World premiere | Debut film recommendation: 14 years and up

With

  • Zhang Taiwen (Zhuang Zhou)
  • Miao Jijun (Meng Ke)

Crew

Director Qu Youjia
Screenplay Qu Youjia
Cinematography Lv Qing
Editing Shan Siqi
Music Chen Siyang
Sound Design Li Danfeng
Production Design Xu Yao
Producers Xie Meng, Wu Xianjian

Produced by

Beijing Booy Media

Pu Tong Ren Films

Qu Youjia

The filmmaker and photographer was born in 1990 and studied at the Beijing Film Academy followed by the Rhode Island School of Design. His debut short film Meijing won prizes including the Night Award at the Signes de Nuit festival. His second film Together Apart won Best Short Film at the FIRST International Film Festival in Xining and was selected for the Bright Future Mid-length competition at IFFR. His feature film project Lava was presented in the Asian Project Market and the Berlinale Co-Production Market.

Filmography

2017 Zhu Mei Jing (Meijing); short film 2019 San Chi (Together Apart); short film 2024 Kai Shi De Qiang (She Sat There Like All Ordinary Ones)

Bio- & filmography as of Berlinale 2024