Ich freue mich ganz besonders und bin auch ein bisschen stolz darauf, Euch einen ganz besonderen Kinofilm nahezulegen, an dem ich immer wieder mithelfen durfte. Die Arbeiten zu dem Film zogen sich über ganze acht Jahre hin und eigentlich sollte er bereits vor zwei Jahren auf der Berlinale und dem Marché du Film in Cannes laufen, woraus dann aber wegen Corona nichts wurde.
Nun kommt viel Material deshalb vorab als 5-teilige Serie auf ARTE. Der Kinofilm startet nach und nach dieses Jahr in ausgesuchten Kinos, bevor er dann im Herbst oder Frühjahr 2023 nochmal als Ganzes im Fernsehen zu sehen sein wird.
Hier der offizielle Begleittext und die Sendedaten zum Film:
THE COLORS OF CHINA
5-part TV series
Creative Producer: Kerstin Meyer-Beetz
Production Coordinator: Florian Fettweis
Producer: Christian Beetz
Written and directed by: Jan Hinrik Drevs
Editing: Christian R. Timmann
GREEN - BETWEEN RICE TERRACES AND TEA MOUNTAINS - FEBRUARY 1, 6.30 P.M., ARTE
RED - OF THE NEW YEAR AND THE FIRE OF THE SOUTH - FEBRUARY 2, 5.50 P.M., ARTE
YELLOW - OF EMPERORS, DRAGONS AND THE PERFECT BALANCE - FEBRUARY 2, 6.30 P.M., ARTE
WHITE - FROM TIANZHU'S SNOW MOUNTAINS TO THE GOBI DESERT - FEBRUARY 3, 5.50 P.M., ARTE
BLACK - FROM FENG SHUI VILLAGE TO BLACK DRAGON RIVER - FEBRUARY 3, 6.30 P.M., ARTE
Colors have always carried meaning for people - some more clearly than others, often depending on nationality or culture. In China, there are five colors - green, red, yellow, white and black - whose meaning is strongly interwoven with millennia of philosophy and still holds true today. For example, the color yellow dominates the roofs of Beijing's historic imperial palace because it was once reserved exclusively for the emperor. Red is the color of joy and celebration, and black and white are found in the Yin and Yang signs.
Around 3000 BC, people in China began to assign certain elements to seasons, cardinal points, times of day, tastes or even internal organs of the human being. The basis was the observation of nature. Wood, fire, earth, metal and water were considered the basic building blocks for everything in the universe - thus the doctrine of the 5 elements was born. To each of them belongs a color. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), nutrition, Feng Shui or the gentle martial art Tai Chi - in all these areas the 5 elements and their colors play a major role. And not only in China - this holistic teaching has also become immensely popular globally.
The TV series THE COLORS OF CHINA was filmed over more than 200 days, on the ground and from the air. Through all seasons and in all climatic zones of the country - from tropical regions to deserts to subarctic landscapes, from the coast to the high mountains. Under the direction of Jan Hinrik Drevs, an extraordinary journey of discovery through China in 5 parts was created - guided by the teachings of the 5 elements and their colors. In the understanding of the complex millennia-old system he was supported by the author and Tai Chi trainer Jan Silberstorff, personal student of Grandmaster Chen Xiaowang, the 5 elements specialist Pao Siermann as well as the Daoist monk Ren Farong, the former head of the Louguantai Temple. The Emmy award-winning Director of Photography Mike Single, who also acted in part as field director, was responsible for the powerful visuals. The series was produced by Christian Beetz, multiple Grimme Award winner, who produced the Netflix original "Rohwedder- Einigkeit und Mord und Freiheit" as well as award-winning documentaries such as "The Cleaners", which exposes the shadow industry of social media content moderators.
More information and lots of press material can be found here on the website of the production company.
Grandmaster Chen Xiaoxing and Master Chen Ziqiang as well as Chenjiagou are also featured in the films. Our Taijiquan is especially represented in the episode Black.
The series will be available in the related media library for a while after the broadcast dates (February 1-3).
I wish you much joy with these really beautiful films!