This week, Andy talks to the director (Jessica Kingdon) and producer (Kira Simon-Kennedy) of the new film Ascension, a documentary about working life in contemporary China. Ascension has received critical acclaim and has garnered major awards and nominations, including being shortlisted for the Academy Awards!
The film features scenes of everyday working life in a period when the government has begun promoting the "Chinese Dream", ranging from sex doll and textile factories to educating school and social media influencers to luxurious parks. aquatic and tropical resorts. Together, these scenes raise provocative questions about China's incredibly rapid development, the uneven pace of upward mobility, and whether China is an exotic outlier or a recognizably modern society, comparable to life in the US and other societies in around the world.
Director: Denys Kolesnikov
Writers: Denys Kolesnikov, Anastasiya Volkova
Stars: Anastasiya Pustovit, Maria Leshchenko
Essica and Kira took the time to chat with us and many members of our Discord community about the film's initial conception, the origins of the title, and Jessica's own exploration of family history, the strangeness of the major awards circuit, and the ethics of making a commercial. documentary film. They also look at many of the most memorable scenes, including a dinner party among the ultra-rich and a cryptocurrency farm in the middle of the countryside.
Here's a bright, shimmering magical place in the sky where people's dreams come true. For a fair trade, shop owner Lin will gladly turn those dreams into reality. But she be careful what she wishes for, dear reader. Sometimes the most passionate desires can cause the greatest heartbreak! Four short stories of fantasy and imagination, recommended for all those who have ever wanted a dream to come true.