In the “Chinese Stories” section this year, there is an excellent film with both wildness and ridiculousness and it is called "a film which is as free as the wind". The new Chinese film Striding into the Wind, directed by Wei Shujun and starred by Zhou You and Zheng Yingchen, used to be highly praised in many film festivals overseas. The screening yesterday once again surprised the film fans in Chinese mainland. Just as its promotion slogan says, “let’s get unrestrained again before growing up”. Striding into the Wind is indeed a vigorous film which can directly hit the hearts of the audience. 

 

 

Wei Shujun, the director of this film, is a post-90s director who has attracted much attention in the industry in recent years. He is good at extended creation from his personal experience. The original inspiration for the film Striding into the Wind is also related to his own experience. In 2015 when he was chatting with a friend, he talked about his dream of driving a jeep to the grassland but failed in the end. The car was sold to the grassland and used by herders for herding … As more and mor topics were talked about, he had the inspiration to create the film Striding into the Wind in which he could tell a youth story about grassland, adventure and a young man.

 

 

The youth-themed films used to focus more on love, while Striding into the Wind takes a different approach to focus on a rebellious young man and tells the story of the collision of his dreams and reality. 

 

A Kun (Zhou You), who is about to graduate from university, falls into a period of confusion. Both love and his studies have brought tremendous pressure to him. Facing a boring life, he is eager to break through the shackles of convention. After obtaining a dilapidated jeep by accident, A Kun chooses to take his friend to step on an adventure to the unknown grassland.

 

Many people used to desire for the stars and the sea, but stopped by the shackles of reality. In the story of Striding into the Wind, the young man with unrestrained nature becomes more courageous and refuses to compromise with adult’s world despite repeated frustrations during the chaotic and ridiculous journey. Such courage will undoubtedly impress every ordinary person who are reconciled to the reality.  

 

 

Striding into the Wind has appeared at many important international film festivals with four important honors in the past year. This film was nominated at the 64th London International Film Festival and the 25th Busan International Film Festival. It won the Fei Mu Awards ·Best Actor of the 4th Pingyao Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon International Film Festival, was nominated in "H!Future New Talent Awards" section at the 3rd Hainan Island International Film Festival. 

 

According to the screening this time, the film Striding into the Wind has really lived up to expectations. In the eyes of the judges, the individual experience described in the film can represent the general spiritual state of contemporary young people which is enough to trigger strong resonance. Many fans felt also amazed at the completeness and maturity of the film and said bluntly that it was "full of poetry and power" “as the first theater film by a young director, that’s very surprising indeed". Talent will never be overwhelmed and it deserves a bigger stage. The film will soon be screened nationwide, so let’s stay tuned!  

 

Striding into the Wind is directed by Wei Shujun with Zhou You and Zheng Yingchen as leading starring, Wang Xiaomu, Tong Linkai, Zhao Duona and Liu Yuting as starring, Li Meng as special starring. It is produced by Alibaba Pictures Keneng Zhizao and distributed by Shanghai Taopiaopiao Film and Television Culture Co., Ltd.