Scriptwriter
JIA Zhangke, ZHAI Yongming
Cinematography
YU Likwai, WANG Yu
Editor
LIN Xudong, KONG Jinlei
Recording Supervisor
ZHANG Yang
Composer
YOSHIHIRO Hanno, LIM Giong
Art Director
LIU Qiang

24 City

Director
JIA Zhangke
Country
China, New Zealand, Poland, United Kingdom
Year
2008
Genre
Documentary, Drama
Status
Completed
Duration
108 min
Language
Mandarin, Shanghainese
Cast
Joan CHEN, LV Liping, ZHAO Tao, CHEN Jianbin
Synopsis
Documentary focusing on the lives of eight people affected after a thriving factory in China that provides hundreds of jobs is replaced by an apartment complex.
 
In 1958, an aeronautics and armaments factory was moved from northeast China to the deep southwest. This factory was code-named Factory ‘420’.

In 2008, Factory ‘420’ is being moved again. Its original site, a prime location in the center of Chengdu city, is a valuable piece of real estate. The location is to be redeveloped into a luxury hotel and housing complex, complete with shops and leisure facilities, under the name ’24 Cities’. The old factory buildings are being demolished to clear the site.
 
Across the personal testimonies of eight people, 24 City explores the history of this factory and the fates of those who worked in it. Their testimonies add up to an account of the China-wide shift from state ownership to private enterprise – and of the consequent change in the status of workers. Much has changed, thanks to China’s embrace of the market economy. The old factory, like China’s experiment with socialism, belongs to the past.
Awards & Festivals
•  Cannes Film Festival 2008
•  Toronto Int'l. Film Festival 2008
•  New York Film Festival 2008
•  São Paulo Int'l. Film Festival 2008
•  Chicago Int'l. Film Festival 2008
•  Mar del Plata Film Festival 2008
•  Turin Film Festival 2008
•  Int'l. Film Festival Rotterdam 2009
•  Göteborg Int'l. Film Festival 2009
•  Glasgow Film Festival 2009
•  Belgrade Film Festival 2009
•  Cleveland Int'l. Film Festival 2009
•  Wisconsin Film Festival 2009
•  Hong Kong Int'l. Film Festival 2009
•  Rio de Janeiro Int'l. Film Festival 2009
•  St. Louis Int'l. Film Festival 2009