“The Last Year Of Darkness” Takes Viewers To China’s Underground Party Scene, Where Young People Live In Passionate Extremes – CPH:DOX

EXCLUSIVE: On a street corner in the booming city of Chengdu, China’s Sichuan province, a club called Funky Town has become an “underground party paradise” attracting a motley crowd of young DJs, drag artists, “enthusiasts, ravers and skaters”. ,” and others.

Funky Town and a lively, sometimes restless crowd of its 20+ crowd make the list The Last Year of Darknessdirected by Ben Mullinkosson (don’t be so cocky about it). Emmy-winning film studio Wavelength and Kindred Spirit announced today that they are on board the documentary, which will have its world premiere at Copenhagen’s prestigious CPH:DOX festival on Tuesday. We got your first look at the film in the exclusive clip above.

Wavelength and Kindred Spirit are funding the project with Florence, Robina Ricitiello and Jennifer Pritzker. Kindred Spirit’s Anita Gou and Sam Intili are producing with Sol Ye (I have no legs and I have to run). The film is produced by Wavelength’s Jenifer Westphal and Joe Plummer, Florence’s Jerad Anderson and Natasha Seubert, Robina Ricitiello and Jennifer Pritzker. CAA Media Finance handles sales in the US.

The Last Year of Darkness offers a compelling and perhaps unprecedented insight into contemporary China and its typically hidden alternative subculture.

“With an agile and playful, but always careful camera, we are picked up across the street late at night and taken on an intimate journey of loud music, glowing neon lights and heavy makeup,” writes CPH:DOX of the film. . “A journey that takes us deep into Chengdu’s alternative youth and its struggles, doubts, work life, self-destruction and redemption. A bass-heavy journey that only ends when the sun rises over modern China.”

Westphal, founder, CEO and executive producer of Wavelength, said: “At Wavelength, we are committed to telling culturally impactful stories from lesser-known or underappreciated communities. It is an honor to be able to exhibit The Last Year of Darkness at this year’s festival.”

Director Ben Mullinkosson is confirmed to be in attendance at the film’s premiere and an additional screening on March 24 (a third screening is on March 26). His characters are also expected. Born in Chicago, he studied and worked in observational filmmaking at Chapman University in Orange, California for several years. The Last Year of Darkness.

“This film was made by drinking plum wine on the dance floor of Funky Town in Chengdu, China,” Mullinkosson tells Deadline. “Everyone in front of the camera is a good friend of mine from years of partying in the underground community in Chengdu. We all love techno music and it brought us all together.”

He adds, “I remember when Yihao found out I was a documentary filmmaker, he asked me, ‘When are you going to film me?’ And I said, “What about Saturday night?” That’s how the movie started. We started following our friends at 9:00 PM to get ready for the night and then watched them until they went to bed at 9:00 AM. to delve deeper into life and the vulnerability of everyone’s experience outside of celebration. The film ended when that magical underground party era ended and everyone was forced to move on with their lives.”

In addition to drag performer Yihao, Mullinkosson’s characters include Kimberly, 647, Darkle and Gena. Kimberly shows extreme emotions, taking turns fighting with her boyfriend and begging him to calm down. Despite her great physical beauty and talent as a musician, she seems to be plagued by a negative opinion of herself.

“I think western audiences will be pleasantly surprised by how recognizable everyone is on camera,” says Mullinkosson. “My friends in front of the camera go through a lot of the same struggles I did when I was in my early 20s. I can strongly relate to their experiences and hope others can too. As Yihao puts it, “We are all human.” This film is really a love letter for me to the underground party scene in Chengdu… All these emotions that come with this lifestyle, like being lost or being self-destructive, are products of life [a] Society that cannot understand or support us as we are. We need places like Funky Town to catch our breath and escape, if only for a short while. This film is truly a celebration of life, a life that can sometimes only be celebrated in the dark.”

Mullinkosson’s previous film, Don’t be a jerk about it, premiered at the IDFA in Amsterdam, where it won the audience prize. He calls the unveiling of his latest film at CPH:DOX in Copenhagen “a dream come true. For the main actors of the film, it is the first time to come to a Western country and be able to show the underground party scene in Chengdu to such a large audience who perhaps never expected that there are underground parties in China at all. ​didn’t, what an honor.”

In the exclusive clip above, Yihao tries to hail a taxi to a night of performances at Funky Town in Chengdu.