(The China Daily Hong Kong/ANN) - An award-winning documentary-style movie about the lives of children from the country’s Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region was well received at the Hong Kong International Film Festival (HKIFF).

The film, entitled A First Farewell, premiered in Hong Kong at the HKIFF on Wednesday night. It will compete for Firebird Awards under the category of Young Cinema Competition (Chinese Language).

The film shows a Uygur boy Isa Yasan who lives with his family in a small town on the edge of the Taklamakan Desert in southwestern Xinjiang. Family members and loved ones have left him one by one within a year to go on their respective life journeys.

His brother left his home town to pursue further education. His mother was sick and sent to a nursing center as no one is able to care for her. His best friend Kalbinur went to study Putonghua, and his beloved pet lamb ran away from him.

Each parting was a new experience — or “first farewell” in Isa’s life, Wang said.

A First Farewell is director Wang Lina’s first feature film. Wang was inspired by the real stories of the actors, who play the role of themselves in the film.

For example, the main actor Isa is busy taking care of his mother, going to school and doing farm work every day.

Wang said she found Isa’s story when she spent half a year in Xinjiang’s schools to search for material for her documentary. What impressed her about the boy was a sentence in Isa’s writing assignment — where he wrote: “Mom can't hear or speak. I communicate with her with my eyes.”

The film shows local people’s dilemma in having to leave the home for a better education and career opportunities while wanting to stay with their families.

Most people from small towns suffer this problem. When Isa’s father considered sending Isa’s mother to a nursing home, he called a family meeting and listened to the family's elders. It is a local custom to have a family meeting before making big decisions, explained Wang.

Wang was born and raised in the Xayar county, Aksu prefecture — the exact place where the movie was filmed. It is a multiethnic region where ethnic groups including Han, Uygur, and Kazak people live together.

Wang presented the multicultural environment in the film based on her own experience. Uygur children were studying Putonghua at school, which they see as important for their personal development. Isa’s best friend Kalbinur was taken away from the town by her family just for a better language learning environment in the bigger cities.

The traditional customs of the Uygurs shown in the film have raised Hong Kong audiences’ attention, such as the joyous celebration of Eid al-Fitr, a major Islamic festival. The beautiful scene of deserts, a Euphrates poplar forest, and reeds also impressed the Hong Kong audience.

During the question and answer session, several members of the audience said they were moved by the characters’ sincere and simple emotions.

 “Hong Kong audiences were deep in thought,” said Wang. She could tell the audience “had immersed themselves” into the film.

Wang was pleased about this because “a good film is completed not only by the producers but also by the audience.” People in the audience recall their own experiences when watching the film — which enriches it, said Wang.

A First Farewell won the Crystal Bear of the Generation Kplus — a section awarded by the Children’s Jury consisting of children aged between 11 and 14 — at the Berlin International Film Festival and the Asian Future Best Film Award at the Tokyo International Film Festival.

The category of Young Cinema Competition (Chinese Language) is a new section added to the Young Cinema Competition in this year's HKIFF. A First Farewell will compete with seven other nominees for the Firebird Award.

 https://www.chinadailyhk.com/articles/154/151/35/1553791978991.html?newsId=66183