Private Project

Flower-gathering at night

With fragrance and commiserate.
A healing poem about the companionship of all things in a family garden.

A mother gathering and cooking with her son in daily life.
The son imitates the mother's kitchen everywhere.
In every kitchen, there is a longing for distant places and a sense of regret.

  • Zihlun Jian
    Director
  • Zihlun Jian
    Producer
  • Zihlun Jian
    Videographer
  • Zihlun Jian
    Editor
  • Zihlun Jian
    Colorist
  • Zihlun Jian
    Sound mixer
  • Zihlun Jian
    Sound design
  • Project Title (Original Language):
    暗時挽花
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Short
  • Runtime:
    14 minutes 56 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    November 12, 2022
  • Country of Origin:
    Taiwan
  • Country of Filming:
    Taiwan
  • Language:
    Chinese - Min Nan
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Hualien Film Awards
    Hualien County
    Taiwan
    November 12, 2022
    Taiwan premiere
    Best documentary award
  • Taiwan Ecological and Environmental Fesitival
    Taipei
    Taiwan
    August 24, 2023
    Best cinematography award
  • Taiwan Ecological and Environmental Fesitival
    Taipei
    Taiwan
    August 24, 2023
    Best story award
Director Biography - Zihlun Jian

A seed saver tries to speak for landraces and cultural affiliation in a gentle way.

He is a man who relies on the land to support his family, has an obsessive compulsion to stay in the fields all day, enjoys the magical moments of early morning and midnight work, in which he observes the love and death between the species.

He is grateful for the bounty of the land, and is occasionally given the task of sharing seeds by the god of seeds, and enjoys watching the close Interethnic and inter-regional relationships developed by the environment. Now he is working on documenting Taiwan's important agricultural heritage such as millet.

Through media reproduction, community art and installation, he attempts to convey cross-generational and Interethnic crop value, trying to look back at the state of being human in the natural system through the perspective of multiple species.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

Breadfruit is my hometown flavour and millet is a cultural crop in a worrying situation.

Some people like to cook, maybe not just to eat, but to enjoy the atmosphere of cooking, sharing and taking care of each other. I was supported by such a family, and I also raised my son to treat everything in the field with a cherished heart, forming such a subtle and introspective short film, linking generations and local crops.

The heartwarming family moments in this film bring out the cross-species emotions, and through the loss of a loved one, the audience may more easily empathise with the loss of the species. The image of running water at the end is a blessing, and although it fades, it leaves behind a sense of resilience and care.