Journey to the West (movie)

With Cast Virtual Q&A

*Due to unforeseen circumstances, the director, Dashan Kong, will not be able to join us for the virtual Q&A. He will be replaced by lead actor Yang Haoyu.*
18 Wins and 3 Nominations, including four awards at 5th Pingyao International Film Festival.
For his entire life, purported UFO sightings have proven false, and TV static in his crumbling apartment has been devoid of any hidden transmissions. Nevertheless, aging Tang Zhijun, editor-in-chief of Space Exploration magazine, continues to believe in aliens, doing odd jobs such as lecturing in psychiatric hospitals to be able to afford the publication of his small space-exploration magazine and rented office space in Beijing. After watching a mysterious video online from Sichuan, Tang heads to mountainous Southwestern China to investigate, accompanied by one of his cynical staffers, an alcoholic weatherman, and a woman with insomnia.
The group of misfits eventually meets an eccentric, young poet named Sun Yitong in a remote village, called Burning Nest, who claims to have received instructions from aliens, and decides to follow him on a journey.
This story is not one of the fabled Monkey King, but is about an ordinary man's continuous pursuit of UFOs and the human condition of chasing faded love.
Director’s profile
KONG Dashan was born in Shandong in 1990. Graduating from the directing department of Beijing Film Academy (MFA), he now lives and works in Beijing. During his school years, he produced several short films, which were selected in many film festivals in China. Journey to the West is his debut feature work.