China's 3Dreams

Information for the audience: 

Early responses to China’s 3Dreams. 

From Jan Rofekamp, CEO Films Transit International Inc, Montréal: “A beautiful, respectful and very important film, a completely universal document about digesting and understanding history.” 

From Jasmine Crittenden, Metro Film Journal: Torrens ventures deep into 21st century China, exploring what it means to grow up without access to one’s own history… (He) creates a complex portrait of a nation in flux.. one that transcends common media impressions, instead representing the plural perspectives of individuals directly affected by the major changes that have swept through China … His subjects discuss history, politics, values and dreams as they go about their daily rituals… Beautifully restrained, China’s 3Dreams affects us with its deep engagement with character and its naturalism, avoiding contrived dramatic structure and sentimentalism. We feel that we’re peering through a window on life as it happens.

From Dan Edwards, RealTime : Torrens’ film is far more nuanced and complex than much of the simplistic documentary work on China produced in the West—a result of the many years Torrens spent on the project, and the three China-related films he made before this one. Committed filmmakers like Nick Torrens should be recognised and supported as the leading cultural figures they are. 

From Li Xin, Managing Editor, China Wall Street Journal: It's very powerful: Chinese life that the West should know, that things are not black or white or red. Amazing you get them talk so candidly in front of the camera. Your work is so valuable, helping record lives in trying times, and making people search in their souls to find meanings and calling.

From Xinran, Author and writer The Guardian (UK): It has touched deep Chinese society! Less and less people care about a real past since that has been taken away by dead memory.. And dying elders.. After my book 'China Witness', I became so worried about young Chinese. They have been transforming into 'materialists with American label beliefs' Thank you for making this film and sharing the same passion with me !”

From Dr Ying Qian, Writer & Post-doctoral Fellow, ANU Centre on China in the World: The film is edited almost as a dreamscape. It’s so fragmentary, not chronological. It has the logic of a dream. I think of dreams as the unconscious. We are all driven by our conscious drives and desires. And so is the society. So when you see the China landscape through that emotional filming… you see the conscious shaping of the landscape. But you also get a glimpse of the unconsciousness in the society- the nightmares and the dreams.

From Hamdani Milas, Hong Kong producer: I am in awe. How did you achieve this remarkable access to such vocal and frank people? It’s been done over time I guess and you’ve built relationships and trust and a network of connections...  Excellent work of integrity and purpose.

From Dr Luigi Tomba, political scientist and Senior Fellow, ANU: These are almost private conversations despite being filmed. Somehow they were private conversations. They cannot put this criticism in black and white because the risk is very significant, but in private they will do it. 

From Julian Wood, FILMINK : There is a key scene towards the end… The fly on the wall camera catches a universal moment compacted with familial, personal, historical and political meaning. It is documentary gold. Only someone with Torrens’ connections, cultural understanding and patient eye for everyday truth could have packaged it so.

From main film subject Zhang Lei The release of this film is a breaking through the fog. You made me leave a bit footprints to the world. This requires the audience high attention, viewers need to watch carefully to see beneath the surface. There are many unspoken things which leave many sparks for thought and feelings. You want to see it again and again. There are many ways to enter, underground passages, dark alleys and forks, side tracks.. The movie has many surface riddles. The history of the nation’s suffering is like a river of Saints history. Once again I deeply grateful to you for bringing me everything!  张蕾 Zhang Lei

Screenings / Awards: 

China’s 3Dreams (Documentary feature): Best Documentary, Film Critics Circle 2015, Best Documentary finalist Sydney Film Festival, Best Direction, Australian Directors Guild nomination,  

Festivals to date: Sydney Film Festival, FIPA Film Festival, Biarritz France, Lasalle Festival international du documentaire en Cévennes France, Ecrans de China, European Festival of Chinese Documentary Paris, Rome, Saarbrücken, Turin, Milan, Human Rights Human Dignity International Film Festival, Myanmar, Canberra International Film Festival, BOFA Film Festival, Launceston, World Film Festival Singapore, one of 6 international finalists at the American Insight Annual Free Speech Awards, Philadelphia 2015.

Information for theatres: 

16:9 Colour and black and white