The RAS is pleased to announce the next film screening: on Wednesday the 26th of May we will watch Sunflower, an emotionally rich drama directed by the Chinese Sixth-Generation helmer Zhang Yan (张扬).

1976 is an eventful year in China. Nine-year-old Zhang Xiangyang is having the time of his life, free of adult supervision, until the day he meets his father, who he can hardly remember. Having discovered Xiangyang's natural talent in drawing, his father forces him to take on the craft to realize his lost ambition. Years later, despite his constant rebellion, Xiangyang becomes an accomplished draughtsman. The changes in China begin to pull him in other directions, but one day he finds himself painting smooth and dispassionate images that his father can relate to.

Director Zhang Yang has explored the father and son relationship in other works, such as Shower and Quitting, which the RAS has previously screened. Sunflower tells a story that is more conventional, yet paradoxically more deeply felt and emotionally affecting. Jeannette Catsoulis of The New York Times reviewed the film, noting that it "explores the tension between tradition and modernity with insight and intimacy". Covering a time span of 30 years, the films also provides a historical yet fascinating portrait of the lives touched by the changing times. In portraying Xiangyang's parents, Sun Haiying and Joan Chen delivered remarkable and commanding performances, which were highly acclaimed by the critics.

The film received its premiered at the 2005 Toronto International Film Festival. It won the Silver Shell for Best Director and the Jury Award for Best Photography at the San Sebastián International Film Festival in 2006.