XIAOHUI HE TA DE NIU
XIAOHUI AND HIS COWS
Xinying Lao / China, United States / 2023 / 15 min / Colour
Nine-year-old Xiaohui lives with his grandfather in a village in southwest China, while his parents work away from home. The family also supports itself through the breeding of cows, which the grandfather manages with care. One day, the grandfather decides to sell a calf. When Xiaohui hears the news, terrified by the idea that the calf could end up in the slaughterhouse, he decides to take it away with him along with its mother. Xiaohui is very fond of his cows and is armed with determination and inventiveness to be able to save them, doing everything to hide them. He can only ask for advice from his peers, because his parents, who are far away, are unable to listen to their son's needs. While adults have other things to think about, children put all their efforts into protecting animals.
Xinying Lao
Xinying Lao is a Chinese director and screenwriter born in 1997. She studied cinema at New York University. Xiaohui and His Cows (2023) is the third short film she wrote and directed, earning her getting a special mention at the Berlin International Film Festival, in the Generation Kplus section. She is the director of two other shorts, Dance class (2019) and A & E (2020), and of a documentary, Buddy (2020).
Credits
Screenplay Xinying LaoCinematography Hark XuSound Bobo Lau, Qi LiuEditing Youmin Kang, Xinying LaoMusic Evan RothMain cast Jinhao Wei, Yuanmo Wei, Yamiao TangProducer Haozheng Li, Xianglian Wei