The Last Bookstore

Mandarin Bookstore, located in the Chinatown of Jakarta, Indonesia, had been through thirty years and now became the only Chinese bookstore in the region. For its elder readers, the bookstore bears their last attachment to their mother tongue. However, as the aging of customers and the shrinking of business, the bookstore is faced with severe challenges. How to save the bookstore became the direst concern of its initiator and many of the customers.

In the fall of 2019, the grandson of the initiator, John Yeo Suryawan, went to study Chinese education in Taiwan regardless the opposition of his families. His grandfather Yoza Suryawan, the prestigious Chinese Indonesia in local Jakarta passed away two years later, at the age of eighty-eight.

  • Xu Shuo
    Director
  • Xi Ruochen
    Director
  • Chen Hao
    Editor
  • Project Title (Original Language):
    最后的书局
  • Project Type:
    Documentary
  • Runtime:
    12 minutes 45 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    September 10, 2019
  • Production Budget:
    2,500 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    China
  • Country of Filming:
    Indonesia, Taiwan
  • Language:
    Chinese, Indonesian
  • Shooting Format:
    HDV
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    Yes - Nanjing University of the Arts/Beijing Normal University
  • 8th Vancouver China Film Festival
    Vancouver
    August 10, 2020
    “Maple Leaf Award” (Best Documentary Editing)
  • 4th West Lake Youth Documentary Forum
    Hang Zhou
    China
    December 13, 2020
    4th West Lake Youth Documentary Forum
    Best short documentary
  • 10th Macao International Film Festival
    Macao
    Macao
    December 29, 2020
    10th Macao International Film Festival
    Best documentary
  • The 9th China film "Academy Award"
    Jinan
    China
    November 2, 2019
    student documentary third prize
  • CGTN（China Global Television Network）
    Globally
    China
    October 29, 2020
    PRESENTATIONS
  • 2019 China Short Video Conference
    Zhengzhou
    China
    December 13, 2019
    Outstanding Film of the Year
  • The sixth "Genqin in China" short film festive.
    Zhengzhou
    China
    Top ten film
  • The 6th "Gbeck" short film festival
    Shanghai
    China
    Finallist
  • 2020 Gbeck Future Film Screening
    Charlottetown
    Canada
    September 3, 2020
    world premiere
  • Chongqing Youth Film Festival
    Chong Qing
    China
    October 31, 2020
    PRESENTATIONS
  • 3th GOLD SWAN Film Fesitival
    Hangzhou
    China
    December 20, 2020
    3th GOLD SWAN Film Fesitival
    Best documentary award Nomination
  • 2th ACTION Student Short Film Festival
    Shanghai
    China
    February 15, 2021
    2th ACTION Student Short Film Festival
    presentations
  • Global Youth Film Festival Bangladesh
    Dhaka
    Bangladesh
    November 25, 2021
    Finallist
  • The 18th Guangzhou College Student Film Festival
    Guang Zhou
    China
    December 20, 2021
    Excellent Work Award
    Excellent Work Award
Director Biography - Xu Shuo, Xi Ruochen

Xu Shuo, Documentary director, Born in 1998, lives in Shanghai. He directed a number of documentaries in recent years, e.g. The Last Bookstore, Unwed Mothers... His works have won plenty of awards in many competitions, such as Los Angeles international film festival, Global Youth Film Festival Bangladesh, World of Women Film Fair Middle East, Guangzhou International Documentary Film Festival,(GZDOC), China International New Media Short Film Festival(CSFF), Macao International Film Festival, CineCina Film Festival... His works have also been shown in China Global Television Network(CGTN), Marketing of Cannes International Film Festival.

Xi Ruochen, born in 2000, is now an undergraduate student at the department of philosophy, Beijing Normal University. She is especially interested in media’s role in contemporary society, its interplay with reality and its significance in rethinking modernity and human existence.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

We are not telling stories with historical themes. We do not want to discuss historical issues. We just want to retain the warm hearts of the elderly and the inspiration of our compatriots.