Mothertongue
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Theatrical Screenings
Muranów
Kinoteka 1
Film description
After years spent in Beijing, the young actress Chunshu is offered the chance to play her dream role. The character she is supposed to portray comes from her hometown of Chengdu. When the producers discover that Chunshu no longer speaks the local dialect, they dismiss her without hesitation. Humiliated, she returns to Chengdu, trying to reconnect with the city she once called home. Her search for lost identity is complicated by strained relationships with both her mother and her retired acting teacher – the very woman who played a key role in stripping Chunshu of her local accent. Together with the teacher’s son, Dongdong, whom she has just met, she wanders through the ever-changing metropolis, exploring both familiar and lesser-known corners of her hometown to learn it anew.
In Zhang Lü’s film, language becomes more than just a tool for communication – it is a vessel of belonging and a symbol of displacement. The director examines the consequences of China’s language policy, under which standard Mandarin is gradually displacing local languages. Chunshu’s plight mirrors the broader debate on the survival of local identity in a world that demands individuals surrender a part of themselves in exchange for social advancement. The film won the Best Director award at the Tokyo International Film Festival in 2025.
text:
Lucyna Szczykutowicz
Zhang Lü
Born in 1962 in Yanbian, northern China, Zhang Lü is a Chinese-Korean director, screenwriter, and author of Korean descent. He graduated with a degree in Chinese literature from Yanbian University, where he later taught and worked as a writer. Entering the film industry at the age of 38, he made his directorial debut in 2001 with the short film Eleven, which was selected for the Venice Film Festival competition. His films frequently explore themes of migration and displacement, portraying the Korean diaspora in China and, in recent years, examining memory, identity, and the intricate relationship between the individual and place.
2000 Shíyī / Eleven (short)
2003 Táng Shī / Tang Poetry
2005 Ziarno w uchu / Mángzhòng / Grain in Ear
2007 Sen pustynny / Gyeonggye / Desert Dream
2008 Chongqing
2008 Iri
2010 Dooman River / Duman-gang
2013 Pung-gyeong / Over There (segment Strangers) (short)
2013 Pungyeong / Scenery
2014 Gyeongju / Gyeongju
2015 Pilleum Sidae Sarang / Love and…
2016 Cichy sen / Chunmong / A Quiet Dream
2018 Gunsan: Georeul Noraehada / Ode to the Goose
2019 Hukuoka / Fukuoka
2021 Màncháng de gàobái / Yanagawa
2023 Wieża, która nie rzuca cienia / Bái tǎ zhī guāng / The Shadowless Tower
2025 Język ojczysty / Chūnshù / Mothertongue
2025 Zmierzch w Luomu / Luómù de huánghūn / Gloaming in Luomu
