Private Project

Sitting in a summer

In a land gradually falling into decline, a tram journey into summer reveals the burdens of money and relationships faced by three individuals at different stages of life. A middle-aged woman grapples with anger and frustration after a joint business venture with friends fails. A young female driver struggles to survive in a suburban area amidst market downturns. Meanwhile, a male courier, worried about platform fines, is forced to deliver packages late at night using the subway. Their ups and downs resonate with one another, as the passengers seem to be on a predetermined path towards an inevitable destination. Perhaps, however, this is just a moment of daydreaming in the warmth of summer.

  • Simone Deng
    Director
  • Simone Deng
    Writer
  • Jocelyn JC Zhao
    Producer
  • Project Title (Original Language):
    夏懵 - 여름 멍
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Experimental, Short
  • Runtime:
    21 minutes 49 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    October 2, 2024
  • Production Budget:
    20,000 CNY
  • Country of Origin:
    China
  • Country of Filming:
    China, United States
  • Language:
    Chinese, English
  • Shooting Format:
    AAC，H.264，HD (1-1-1)
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Black & White and Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Simone Deng

Qi-guan (Simone Deng) is an independent documentary director and editor. In 2024, she served as the editing supervisor for the film《Milky White》(Directed by Liu Yoyo), which was nominated for the 'Zabaltegi-Tabakalera Competition' at the 72nd San Sebastián International Film Festival. She has also gained extensive experience in various areas of short films creation, screenings, and film market operations at major film festivals such as the FIRST Film Festival in China and The ONE (Shanyi) International Women's Film Festival. Her main works include the main promotional video for the 3rd The ONE (Shanyi) International Women's Film Festival, the behind-the-scenes documentary for the film《Isolated Island》(produced by Cao Baoping), the behind-the-scenes documentary for《Face’s a verb》(produced by Zheng Dasheng), and the main trailer for the training camp at the 15th FIRST Film Festival.

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Director Statement

'Reminiscence', which is the core of all my visual works, whether it is about recreating a story or evoking some certain feeling. In 2022, during the last year of severe lockdowns across mainland China due to the COVID-19 pandemic, I traveled to the city where it began—Wuhan. Now, as COVID-19 gradually fades away along with its memory, it seems that all the people of this land have collectively agreed to avoid this matter. Trauma is an illness, and I have never understood why people turn the page on some of the suffering that has occurred in the past. The film title "여름 멍" in Korean, the word "멍" is phonetically similar to "懵" in Chinese, but it also conveys meanings such as "dazed" or "in deep thought." Thus, I created this film to capture the experience of sitting in a summer daze while simultaneously listening to three strangers share some fragments of their lives.