The Last Year of Darkness
Synopsis
As the city of Chengdu changes, the future of beloved go-to party space for a group of twenty-year-olds, Funky Town, is unclear. For a vibrant group of DJs, drag artists, ravers, and skaters, it is a sanctuary that allows them to thrive after hours. But as the sun comes up, they must face what brought them to the party in the first place.
Schedule
1st Screening
6 November 2024, 19:00 GMT+7
Credits
Ben Mullinkosson
The Last Year of Darkness (2023) is Ben’s second feature-length documentary and 6th year coming back to Chengdu. His first feature, Don’t Be a Dick About It (2018) won the 2018 Audience Award at IDFA and is being distributed by Oscilloscope. He now works directing commercials and music videos. His works include Cannes Silver Lion Advertising award, Vimeo Staff Picks, NYT Op-Docs, and some of his films have millions of views. His previous short films have gotten into 50+ festivals around the world including Tribeca (Gnarly in Pink) and Slamdance (What I Hate About Myself).
Sol Ye
Sol Ye is a bilingual producer based in Beijing, China. Her past works have been selected in festivals and platforms in over 30 countries including Cannes, Rotterdam, San Sebastian, BFI, Melbourne, and the Criterion Channel. She also co-produced the first Chinese-Serbia co-production. Sol’s newest feature documentary The Last Year of Darkness (2023) world premiered at the 20th CPH:DOX in its NEXT:WAVE competition.
Anita Gou
Anita Gou is a film and multimedia producer who grew up between Taiwan, Hong Kong, China, and the US. Her upcoming films include Agnieszka Smoczynska’s English language debut The Silent Twins (starring Letitia Wright & Tamara Lawrance) for Focus Features, premiering at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival’s Un Certain Regard section. She previously produced one of the highest grossing independent films of 2019, The Farewell (starring Awkwafina) and Honey Boy (starring Shia LaBeouf and Lucas Hedges) released by A24 and Amazon Studios respectively. Her past works include: FOUND (Netflix, 2021); Together Together (Sundance 2021, Bleecker Street); Assassination Nation (Sundance 2018, NEON), Terminal 3 (Microsoft Hologram project, Tribeca 2018), To the Bone (Sundance 2017, Netflix), and The Assassin (Cannes 2015, Well Go USA).
Sam Intili
Sam Intili is a New York-based producer and the Head of Creative at Kindred Spirit, the company behind The Farewell, Honey Boy, and The Silent Twins. Sam focuses on producing purpose-driven and boundary-pushing storytelling in film, television, and new media. Sam began their career at FilmNation Entertainment, supporting the international sales effort on films such as Pedro Almodóvar’s Pain & Glory, Sebastián Lelio’s Disobedience and Lisa Joy’s Reminiscence. They went on to work at Animal Kingdom where they focused on sourcing financing and distribution for visionary, emerging filmmakers. They executive produced Andrew Cummings’ The Origin with Sony Pictures Worldwide and Joaquin del Paso’s The Hole in the Fence. They most recently produced Jane Schoenbrun’s I Saw the TV Glow with Fruit Tree and A24 as well as Ben Mullinkosson’s documentary feature The Last Year of Darkness, which will have its world premiere at CPH:DOX.
Details
2023 Queer Lisboa | Official Selection
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The Last Year of Darkness (2023): The Escapism Circus and The Efforts to Protect Them
Read articleBehind the constant development of Chengdu that is changing the face of the city, a nightclub called Funky Town is alive. Located around the construction area, it offers a shelter…
