“Clothes, a layer of substance in close contact with our skins, also have memories.” - filmmaker Jia Zhang-ke

Jia Zhang-ke (Still Life, MIFF 07) picks at the fabric of the textile industry of China, the largest exporter of garments worldwide. Lingering among the cognoscenti of Paris Fashion Week, Jia follows the launch of Chinese anti-fashion designer Ma Ke's newly established ‘Wu Yong' (‘Useless') brand, in which the apparel is buried in the earth for Mother Nature to add the finishing touches. Winner of the documentary award at last year's Venice Film Festival.“He peels away the layers to show the predicament of the country today, the weight of the past, the pressure of being a superpower and the workers who toil for little gain.” - International Herald Tribune