Private Project

HIDEAWAY

SYNOPSIS:

In this experimental autobiography, the filmmaker reflects on his own experience and asks: why is the oppressive power wielded by political authorities over ordinary people often mirrored in personal relationships—between parents and children, husband and wife, and beyond? Can love, when entangled with power, lead to violence and erode one’s sense of self?

Eschewing a linear narrative, the film immerses viewers in the protagonist’s consciousness, weaving together fragments of memories, dreams, and imaginings. A childhood amidst the Cultural Revolution resurfaces: a young boy, frightened by his father’s authoritative power, seeks refuge by running away; yet the father—condemned as a “Rightist”— finds no refuge from a greater power. In adulthood, the man seeks protection while feeling terrified by control, his struggle deeply entangling his emotional life. He continues to search for the roots of fear and the courage to confront it. Through a mosaic of enigmatic inner moments, the film examines how political violence seeps into private life, its weight reverberating across generations.

在這部實驗性自傳作品中，作者透過審視個人經歷提出疑問：為什麼政治強權對普通人的壓迫，往往會在親子、夫妻等親密關係中被不斷被映射？當愛與權力交織時，是否會不可避免地傷害並侵蝕一個人的自我？

影片摒棄了傳統的線性敘事，將觀眾引入主人公的內在意識，穿梭於由記憶、夢境與想像碎片交織而成的時空。文革時期的童年記憶反覆浮現：對父親的權威心懷畏懼的他，常常在出逃中尋求慰藉。然而，背負「右派」罪名的父親，卻無以從更大的威權中逃離。成年後，他一面渴望庇護，一面恐懼著庇護背後的控制，矛盾深深糾纏他的情感世界。他不斷追問恐懼的根源，試圖尋求直面它的勇氣。

通過一系列難以名狀的內在瞬間，影片探索了政治暴力如何滲透進私人空間，侵蝕一代又一代人的生活，留下難以抹去的創傷。

  • QING SHA
    Director
    Lone Existence
  • YI CUI
    Producer
    Of Shadows, Late Summer, Through the Looking Glass
  • RONG FAN
    Producer
  • DAN JI
    Producer
    SPIRAL STAIRCASE OF HARBIN, DREAM OF THE EMPTY CITY, SPIRIT HOME, GONGBO’S HAPPY LIFE
  • WEIKAI HUANG
    Key Cast
    Disorder (2009)
  • Project Title (Original Language):
    庇護
  • Project Type:
    Experimental, Feature
  • Genres:
    experimental, hybrid
  • Runtime:
    1 hour 24 minutes 15 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    January 15, 2026
  • Country of Origin:
    Canada, China, United States
  • Country of Filming:
    China
  • Language:
    No Dialogue
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Black & White and Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Digital Cinema Package:
    Unavailable
  • Work in progress. World Premiere status available. A work-in-progress version was shown at the Chinese Independent Film Archive at Newcastle University in the UK in 2023: https://www.chinaindiefilm.org/films/hideaway/ (Note: Some websites mistakenly list the film as a 2023 production due to the Newcastle screening.)
Director Biography - QING SHA

Sha, Qing is a Chinese filmmaker who began his film career as a sound recordist and editor, and started making his own films later. His unique creative style has earned him critical acclaim and many awards. Sha, Qing’s work has been celebrated as "the radical exercise of filmmaking and poetry,"(1) which "reaches a deep introspection on the fundamental solitude of humankind."(2) His earlier films, such as "Wellspring", have won awards including the Prize for Most Promising Asian Documentarist, the Silver Prize at Visions du Réel, and the Best International Documentary at Hot Docs. His 2016 documentary 'Lone Existence' (previously titled 'Fading Reflections') received awards at the Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival and the Taiwan International Documentary Festival, and it was exhibited at Cinéma du Réel and the UCCA Center for Contemporary Art in Beijing, among others. "Hideaway" is Sha, Qing's new feature created over many years of work.

(1) 2018 Taiwan IDFF Jury Comment on Award Recipient. (2) 2017 Yamagata IDFF Jury Comment on Award Recipient.

沙青最初作為錄音師和剪輯師步入了他的電影生涯，並於1996年開始獨立創作影像作品。他鮮明的創作風格使他在中國獨立電影導演中佔據了獨特的地位，並贏得諸多獎項。他的作品被贊譽為「電影與寫詩的激進實踐」(1)，能夠「深刻反省人類根本的孤獨處境」(2)。他的早期作品《在一起的時光》曾獲得小川紳介獎、瑞士Visions du Réel電影節國際競賽單元銀獎以及加拿大Hot Docs電影節最佳中篇獎。他於2016年完成的紀錄長片《獨自存在》（原名《消失的倒影》）曾在日本山形國際紀錄片電影節和台灣國際紀錄片影展獲獎，並參加法國真實電影節、北京UCCA當代藝術中心新亞洲影志等展映。《庇護》是沙青歷經多年創作完成的新作。

(1)2018台灣國際紀錄片影展頒獎詞 (2)2017山行國際紀錄片影展頒獎詞

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

Intuition leads the way. While people often evaluate works through rational reasons, for artists, intuition remains an undeniable starting point. In 2011, reminiscences penned in earlier years suddenly sparked an impulse, evolving in my mind, in the form of a film. Two years later, after filming my childhood memory scenes, the project paused for unforeseen reasons. During the prolonged wait, I scrutinized this work repeatedly, questioning whether it was limited and biased by personal experiences. It wasn't until 2019, after completing all filming, that the true motive behind the creation became clear. During the years of making the film, I witnessed more and more individuals and groups being controlled by fear in unequal relationships. They remain silent, endured, from birth to death. Fear stems not only from the oppression of power but also from not daring to lose what one already has. And, all this is becoming increasingly evident today.

Indeed, one grows in the process of creation. It instilled in me a desire to continuously observe the world, and made me realize that in the maturing art form of cinema, there are still expressional spaces to explore. When in an equal and open relationship with the screen, the viewers can freely incorporate their own thoughts and emotions, thus achieving a more enriched experience.

直覺先行。雖然人們已習慣了用理性觀念來評判作品，但對創作者來說，直覺依然是不容輕忽的起點。

2011年時，早年寫下的回憶文字忽然成了一種不期而至的衝動，以電影的方式在腦海裡不斷演進。兩年後，結束了關於少年時代回憶的拍攝，因故停下來。在漫長的等待中，我一再打量它，自問是否受限於個人體驗而落於偏陋。及至2019年全部拍攝完成後，才明晰了創作真實的動因。伴隨拍攝的這些年里，我見聞了更多在不平等關係下，被恐懼感左右著的個人和群體。他們沈默、忍耐，從生到死。恐懼不僅源自權力的壓迫，也出於對失去既有的擔憂。這一切，如今愈發凸顯。

在創作中成長，果真如此。它不止給了我持續觀察世界的願望，也讓人意識到，電影這個迅速成熟起來的藝術，在表達形式上仍有可探索的空間。在一種平等、開放的關係下，觀者可以更自由地加入自己的經驗與情感，從而達成更為豐富的交流。