Fot.
still from "Art College 1994", dir. Liu Jian
< Animocje 365
Event from the
13th IAFF Animocje 2024
< See full programme
Event from the
13th IAFF Animocje 2024
< See the full programme
Online

Art College 1994, dir. Liu Jian

Full-lenght films
For adults
04.16
08.00 PM

Curator:

Title
Art College 1994
Production year
2023
Directed by
Liu Jian
Country
China
Language
language: English, subtitles: Polish / English
Rating
14+
Duration
118'
Genre
drama, comedy

Against the background of reforms opening China to the Western world, a group of college students live in full swing as they take their first steps into adulthood, where love and friendships are intertwined with artistic pursuits, ideals and ambitions. Caught between tradition and modernity, they now have to choose who they want to become. Filmmaker and painter Liu Jian combines stylised modern illustrations with a passion for art and life. Suffused with a dark offbeat humour, his work depicts the hopes and artistic dreams of an entire generation as it passes into adulthood. People, events and styles blend with the urban and winter landscape of a country undergoing rapid change.

A still from an animated film. Two figures lie on the grass, back to back. One of them is holding a blade of grass in her mouth, the other is holding a cigarette in her mouth. There are small white bowls on their bellies. Fragments of trees and urban buildings in the background.

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Festivals 

- Annecy International Animated Film Festival, France;

- Berlin International Film Festival, Germany;

- Sydney Film Festival, Australia;

- Warsaw International Film Festival, Poland;

- La Roche-sur-Yon International Film Festival, Vendée, France;

- New York Asian Film Festival, USA;

- Tokyo International Film Festival, Japan;

- Edinburgh International Film Festival, Scotland, Great Britain;

- Film Fest Gent, Ghent, Belgium;

- Future Film Festival, Great Britain;

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Liu Jian

Black and white photography. A man of Chinese origin, with black glasses and a small beard. Dressed in a black jacket and a light shirt.

Liu Jian (China, 1969) majored in Chinese Painting and graduated from the Nanjing Art Institute in 1993. His works from the area of modern art were presented in China and abroad. He began working on animations in 1995 and founded Le-joy Animation Studio in 2007. His first feature animation, Piercing 1, screened in numerous film festivals, was awarded as the Best Animated Feature Film at the 4th Asia Pacific Screen Awards.  In 2017, his feature animation film Have A Nice Day premiered in the Berlin Film Festival competition before being screened in more than 50 festivals worldwide. Liu Jian currently teaches animation filmmaking at the China Academy of Art. His latest production, Art College 1994, premiered in the festival competition in Berlin 2023. 

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Filmography 

2023 - Art College 1994 - comedy, drama; 

2017 -  Have a Nice Day - comedy, crime; 

2011 -   Look at This Man  - short;  

2011 -  Face – short; 

2011 - Chaos & Order – short; 

2010 - Piercing - crime, drama, animated; 

Poster of the film "Art Collage 1994". Two people are lying on the grass, one of them is holding a blade of grass in his mouth. In the background, a fragment of a Chinese-style building, in front of the building two women with bicycles on the lawn.
A still from an animated film. Two figures are painting a large picture, one of them is standing, the other is sitting on a chair. Fragments of people's silhouettes are sketched in the painting.
A still from an animated film. Two women in dresses stand on the bridge. Bicycles are parked next to them. In the background, a landscape of the setting sun.