Private Project

Left Behind

A seven-year-old girl left behind by her parents who sought a better future for her. After a bittersweet New Year’s Eve, her parents place Jing in a boarding school. Jing struggles to adapt to her new environment, finding herself isolated and unable to make friends. As she grapples with the challenges of studying, her imagination becomes her refuge, which it intensifies her longing for her absent mother.

  • Jingyi Zhao
    Director
  • Jingyi Zhao
    Writer
  • Oz Lu
    Producer
    My Love from Dreams
  • Mengyue Niu
    Key Cast
    "Wenjing"
  • Project Title (Original Language):
    文静的世界
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Runtime:
    15 minutes 25 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    February 8, 2023
  • Production Budget:
    6,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    China
  • Country of Filming:
    China
  • Language:
    Chinese
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    Yes - Henan University of Technology
Director Biography - Jingyi Zhao

Jingyi Zhao is an independent filmmaker hailing from the northern region of China. Born and raised in a rural setting, Zhao is passionate about human rights issues, especially education and marginalized people, and has demonstrated a remarkable ability to capture the growing marginalization of the "poor" and the human rights class.

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Director Statement

Our approach to film production is centered around people, combining documentary techniques with audio-visual skills. In this short film, our goal is to capture the living conditions of numerous migrant worker families during the era of China's reform and opening up.When parents have to leave their hometown for work in order to get a better education for their children because of poverty, when the child is born to escape the fate of migrant workers and study hard, a 6-year-old girl is thrown into a strange world, Her innocence and loveliness are being strangled by socialization, beginning a lifelong separation between parents and children.
I believe that education is a fundamental right for every child, regardless of their geographic location or social background. Through in-depth study of migrant workers family and children mental health, I aim to expose the systemic barriers they face and inspire conversations that lead to sustainable solutions.