Mandarin, with subtitles in English
China, 2008 (98 minutes)

Synopsis
In a poor mining town in western China, the stories of a father and his two children intersect and intertwine, illuminating complicated relationships hidden beneath the community’s hardened exterior. Accused of an affair with her manager, the attractive daughter of the household finds herself spurned by her boyfriend and forced to accept an arranged marriage. Her brother dreams of being a singer, but after an unforeseen stint in prison, reluctantly heads into the mines like his father, who spends his days searching for the wife who left him many years ago. Writer-director Zhang Chi’s wise and poetic debut delicately expresses the turmoil of emotion and expectation wrought by a calloused and difficult existence.

About the Director
Zhang Chi was born in Beijing, China in 1977. He studied film direction at the Central Academy of Drama, and served as the director of the Chinese national television company, CCTV, from 2000 to 2004. In 2008, he won China’s Golden Rooster Award for Best Screenplay for the film Tokyo Trial. The Shaft is his first feature film.

Principal Cast

Ding Baogen
Song Daming
Ding Jingshui
Ding Jingsheng

Luo Deyuan
Li Chen
Zheng Louqian
Huang Xuan

Crew

Director
Writer
Executive Producers
Producers

Cinematographer
Editor
Music

Zhang Chi
Zhang Chi
Li Xiaoyan, Wang Xian Zhou, Fan Zhongyun
Hu Guipu, Kang Jianmin, Xu Bailin, Tao Xingrui, Liu Xiuwen, Hu Guipu, Zhang Daogang, Wang Yijie, Liu Xinglun, Guo Sai
Liu Shumin
Zhang Chi
Guo Sida