Partizan director Sing J Lee describes his new promo for Tchami as ‘a classic story of yin and yang’. The film was shot in Shanghai - apart from the final scene - and focuses on the youth of China’s rural towns being attracted to the excitement of modern cities like Shanghai.
Sing says of the project: "The story came from tangents of several personal projects I have been developing about cultural duality as a British-born Chinese man. I wanted to explore a duality in a more intimate setting, in the same country, as opposed to two different cultures and countries."
The end result is a beautifully shot film that follows the story of a young rural girl who has been seduced by the relentless modernism of a new city and all that it offers, only to find out that this new lifestyle soon takes its toll. The film is authentic, fast-paced and exciting, echoing the girl’s experience. The rawness of the film is emphasised by Sing’s use of non actors; all of the cast are real friends and acquaintances from Shanghai.