The Show Must Go On

"The Show Must Go On" is a low-cost independent documentary film, which was shot after the epidemic. This film follows the lives of seven main characters (these seven people come from all walks of life, but all live in Jiaozuo City) and presents these fragments of life in paragraphs through cross cutting. The film starts with the performance of the street artist Kang Yongli in front of the station, with the characters divided into chapters, some of which happen to be recorded with irony. Starting from Chapter 8, when "Zheng Qingzhen" rides through a tunnel, the film changes from 4:3 to 16:9, and the editing also changes. All the character lines begin to converge here...

  • Mincher Lee
    Director
    The Chinese Gangster; Wild Tales;
  • Fujing Cui
    Producer
    Wild Tales; Beijing Silver Mine
  • Dong Wang
    Producer
    The Chinese Gangster; Wild Tales;
  • Hailong Cui
    Producer
    The Chinese Gangster; Wild Tales;
  • Yongli Kang
    Key Cast
  • Yang Zhen
    Key Cast
  • Bojun Li
    Key Cast
  • Ru Shu Feng Yu
    Key Cast
  • Jin Jiao
    Key Cast
  • Zhe Guo
    Key Cast
  • Qingzhen Zheng
    Key Cast
  • Project Title (Original Language):
    从站前路出发
  • Project Type:
    Documentary
  • Genres:
    Expository, Observational, Interview
  • Runtime:
    1 hour 57 minutes 6 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    July 6, 2021
  • Production Budget:
    12,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    China
  • Country of Filming:
    China
  • Language:
    Chinese
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital,35mm
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9/4:3
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Tokyo International Monthly Film Festival
    Tokyo
    Japan
    September 9, 2022
    Award Winner
  • European Cinematography AWARDS (ECA)
  • 2023 ARFF Barcelona // International Awards

    Final List
  • Focus International Film Festival
Director Biography - Mincher Lee

Mincher Lee, born in Jiaozuo, Henan Province,China.An independent film director.
In 2018, documentary short "THE CHINESE GANGSTER" was shortlisted in the ‘HISFF’ Short Film Festival.

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Director Statement

"The Show Must Go On" is my first long documentary. At the same time,  I also worked as a photographer and editor. Different from the original intention of many people, I met "Kang Yongli" by chance, and I thought it was a kind of fate. Because he has a kind of inexplicable "self-confidence", which makes me feel that he is very different (you know, in Jiaozuo this small city, different people are not common). When I want to pick up the camera to record him, I think of my group of friends who are also different, so I made this film. For the whole film, my two favorite scenes are "Bo Jun" telling a Korean fortune and "Zheng Qingzhen" riding a bicycle in the backlight. I have always believed that art films, even documentaries, can achieve both artistic expression and acceptance by ordinary people. "Banter" is sometimes part of "serious life.".