Self-Portrait: Window at 47 KM

Zhang Mengqi

Release year: 2019

Run time: 110 mins

Film type: Documentary

This is the eighth film in my documentary “Self-Portrait” series.

An 85-year-old man sits under Mao Zedong's portrait and, as the sun sets, recalls his revolutionary history in pursuit of “New China”.

Meanwhile, a 15-year-old girl named Fanghong walks through the village with her paintbrush, knocking on the doors of elders' dark rooms, sitting before them to draw their portraits. She's like a ray of light illuminating their memories and ruins.

I followed Fanghong, and together we built a window for the village of 47 KM.

Zhang Mengqi was born in 1987. She graduated from the Dance Academy of China’s Minorities University in 2008. Since 2009, she has been a resident artist at CCD Workstation. She makes documentary films: Self-portrait with Three Women (2010), Self-Portrait: At 47 KM (2011), Self-portrait: Dancing at 47 KM (2012), Self-portrait: Dreaming at 47 km (2013), Self-portrait: Bridging at 47 KM (2014), Self-portrait: Dying at 47 KM (2015), Self-portrait: Born in 47 KM (2016), and Self-portrait: Sphinx in 47 KM (2017), her “Self-Portrait” series.

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Self-Portrait: Window at 47 KM