‘5-CENT LIFE’ Women’s Film Festival shows controversial Chinese film
The Hot Springs International Women’s Film Festival has brought a multitude of talented female filmmakers, screenwriters, actresses and producers to Hot Springs for the past two years.
The lineup for the third festival, set for March
28-29 at Hot Springs Central Theater, 1008 Central Ave., is no exception. Making their way to Arkansas for the first time, Phoebe Liu and Emily Stoffer said they are excited to bring their film,
“5-Cent Life” to Hot Springs.
“Phoebe is super excited. She’s never been to Arkansas,” Stoffer said.
The film follows the true story of Chinese citizen Lin Zhao who lived through the Chinese Civil War. According to Liu, the story is “a commentary on the value of speaking the truth.”
Originally from China, Liu established herself as a successful director, screenwriter, and producer in Chinese television. To advance her career, she moved to the United States to obtain a master’s degree in motion pictures and television. Liu was not only the executive producer of the film, she also wrote, directed, and even acted when the need arose.
Much like the main character in the film, Liu’s relationship with the Chinese government was complicated. At the age of 9, she witnessed a state execution after her mother chose her to represent their family. Not long after, she and her entire family were sent to a labor camp because her father expressed his opinions of Chairman Mao Zedong.
“Eventually I found my way into filmmaking in China,” Liu said in her director’s statement, noting that for her first project, she raised funds for a 10-part documentary series, “We, we,” about young intellectuals during the Tiananmen Square events of 1989 and postMao-Zedong-China. Four elite writers created the series and were swept up during the Chinese Communist Party’s crackdown on Tiananmen Square protests. The writers either escaped to the U.S. or were arrested by Chinese authorities.
“A few weeks later the police found me and ordered me to submit the documentary footage or go to jail,” Liu said.
“If I had been courageous, I would’ve refused to turn over the film. Instead, I caved into the pressure. The government confiscated the film and my father made me promise I would never make a film revealing the red truth of Communist China.”
Eventually, Liu moved to America and broke that promise to her father. In 2010, she met Stoffer.
“Phoebe had several projects she was working on. She got feedback to go a more commercial route and we linked up in 2010,” said Stoffer, who helped produce and write “5-Cent Life.”
The film is set in China in 1948 and all but one day of filming took place in China.
Due to the subject matter, Stoffer said they could not film certain scenes safely while in China. The film was also shot in English to avoid attracting the unwanted attention of locals. Stoffer noted many of the actors were even kept in the dark about the film’s true nature.
“We had gotten frustrated with getting it told. It is a little known story. A story people are not comfortable telling,” Stoffer said.
According to the film’s Facebook page, Zhao is “punished and tortured after she questions the Communist party’s actions and her involvement in the cause, turning back to her Christian education.” The title refers to the 5 cents Zhao’s mother was charged for the bullet used to execute her.
“I want to shoot this film for the next Chinese generation,” Liu said. “The Chinese government wanted to hide this. My purpose is to share with the next generation. I don’t think many people are familiar with modern Chinese history.”
A two-day pass to the Hot Springs International Women’s Film Festival is $60 and a single-day pass is $33. Tickets for a half-day of film screenings are $20 and tickets to a single film are $15. Tickets and film schedule can be found at https://hotspringswomensfilmfestival. com/. The Hot Springs Central Theater is located at 1008 Central Ave.