The Magical Craftsmanship of Suzhou, a documentary on Suzhou's ancient crafts, was released in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Toronto and Vancouver on June 24, presenting the authentic Jiangnan (south of the Yangtze River) culture to the audience in North America.
Through the perspectives of 12 representative inheritors, the film traces down nine forms of crafts in Suzhou, including lantern making, olive pit carving, Song Dynasty (960-1279) brocade, Ming Dynasty (1368-1644)-style furniture, boat snacks, Suzhou embroidery, Xiangshan Gang's construction skills, kesi (Chinese silk tapestry) and jade carving, highlighting the craftsmanship in the new era that innovates on the basis of tradition.
The audience enter the theater.
The poster is displayed on advertising screens.
Film is an excellent medium for spreading Suzhou culture across the globe. The overseas distribution of The Magical Craftsmanship of Suzhou is of great importance in enhancing the capabilities of intangible cultural heritages to communicate with the international community, providing an opportunity for the audience around the world to feel the charm of traditional crafts of Suzhou.
@Film Threat
Several media in North America have reported on the film since its release. Film Threat comments, "This is a pleasantly succinct and splendidly filmed movie about the creative impulse and how that impulse is used to respect the past and present."
Avi Offer from NYC Movie Guru published a review after watching the film. He praised it as "illuminating, exhilarating and eye-opening", saying "Director does a wonderful job of capturing the skills, talent, hard work and patience that it takes for the craftsmen and craftswomen to create a wide variety of arts and crafts...Each of the arts and crafts has its own majestic beauty that transcends words...It's fascinating to hear how their crafts have evolved throughout the years."
@The NYC Movie Guru
"The Magical Craftsmanship of Suzhou is fascinating and valuable in terms of its camerawork, contents and narrative. I hope this film will help more people learn about traditional Chinese crafts and attract them to the inheritance of traditional crafts," said Stephen Sham, former mayor of Alhambra city, California.
The documentary is scheduled to open in Sydney and Melbourne in Australia and Auckland in New Zealand in late July, and hit theaters in major European cities later this year.
