Oceanul Mare

A film by Katharina Copony. 3SAT-Dokumentarfilmpreis für den Besten Deutschsprachigen Dokumentarfilm, Duisburger Filmwoche 2009

Year  2008

Length: 80 min

Format:   1:1.85

Country of production  AUT, ROU

Synopsis

"The rule of the ocean is that big fish eat little fish! The phrase 'business ocean' implies that it's tough and really hard! If you don't pay attention, you'll be eaten and will drown! If you're successful, you'll glide across the ocean like a triumphant sailboat!"
The film centers on three Chinese people in Bucharest, who migrated there in the early 1990s. It follows their paths through Romania's metropolis and traces their varying connections with Europe's largest Chinese market on the periphery of the city. Episode by episode, it accompanies the central characters through the striking contrasts of their daily routines and business milieus, telling a story of what it is like to be foreign and of cultural displacement. Ultimately, the story underscores the challenge to immerse oneself into the unknown while continually reinventing oneself in the process.

Production

Katharina Copony in Koproduktion mit HiFilm Productions (Romania), Komplizen Film (Germany), gefördert von Innovative Film Austria, Cinestyria Filmkunst, mit Unterstützung des Österreichischen Kulturforums Bukarest.

Cast

Shen Xiaoming

Li Jianhua

Liu Yuexia

Team

Written and directed by

Katharina Copony

Director of Photography

Bernhard Keller

Editing

Stefan Stabenow

Translation

Rui Li-Stickland

Original Sound

Pavel Cuzuioc

Sebastian Kleinloh

Sound Design

Kuen-Il Song

Sound Mixing

Andreas Hildebrandt

Co-producers

Hifilm Productions and Komplizen Film

Producer

Katharina Copony

Awards

Duisburg Film Week 2009

3SAT-Documentary Film Award

Festivals

Diagonale Graz 2009

Duisburg Film Week

noulcinematograf, Muzeul Taranului Roman 2009

3rd Annual Toronto-Romanian Film Festival 2010

One World Filmfestival, Bucharest 2010

Documentary Film Festival Hamburg 2010

Distribution

Distribution