Private Project

Peace By Piece

When Li Haiming was eight years old, his uncle taught him the art of cloisonné enamel painting. Almost five decades later, he is considered the master of this unique and elaborate folk art. Through financial difficulties and the constant effort of attempting to gain awareness, Li Haiming has fought alongside his dedicated wife and children to keep this art alive and pass it down to other generations. Against the background of Lanzhou, Gansu, and the studio beside the Five Spring Mountain that he calls home, “Peace By Piece” is the story of the art of holding on and letting go.

  • Kathleen Mann
    Director
  • Xu Xiaolei
    Producer
  • Kathleen Mann
    Producer
  • Paul Armstrong
    Producer
  • Project Type:
    Documentary
  • Runtime:
    10 minutes 58 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    June 19, 2017
  • Production Budget:
    1,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    Canada
  • Country of Filming:
    China
  • Language:
    Chinese
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Vancouver Chinese Film Festival
    Vancouver
    Canada
    July 22, 2017
    North American Premiere
Director Biography - Kathleen Mann

Born and raised in a theatre family throughout western Canada, Kathleen Mann grew up around the dialogue that happens between directors, writers, and actors, inspiring her to join the conversation. She had many experiences acting on stage as a child but always found herself drawn to the concept of creating worlds. Her love of film was solidified when, at age 12, she enrolled in a summer program at the Gulf Islands Film and Television School. She wrote, directed and edited her first short film, and a seed was planted. Kathleen went on to graduate from an ACE-IT Film and Broadcasting program in High School. After school, she took a bit of a detour into the world of Retail Management, but even there she created training videos for her staff and continued to make shorts on her own. She enrolled at the Langara College Film Arts program in the directing stream in January 2016, where she directed two short films, one of which has been screened at multiple international film festivals. In June 2017, Kathleen traveled to Lanzhou, China to direct a short documentary with the Looking China program. Kathleen continues to collaborate with a network of local filmmakers, using grassroots filmmaking to help tell each other's stories.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

Kathleen Mann aims to create and convey compelling and original stories of the human condition through aesthetically innovative films.