Sichuan-born, Hong Kong- and Beijing-based filmmaker Emily Tang Xiaobai was so thrilled that her third feature was showing on the big screen at one of Australia's quirkiest film festivals that she and lead actress Yang Shuting arranged their own travel to the Melbourne opening-night screening.
All Apologies also screened at the Sydney and Brisbane legs of the 2014 Golden Koala Chinese Film Festival, which began in Melbourne on January 31 and came to a close in Brisbane yesterday. The Jury Prize winner at last year's Hong Kong International Film Festival also previously screened in Tokyo and at the San Sebastian International Film Festival.
In general, however, the director has struggled to get screenings of her powerful drama, particularly on the mainland. But that is not because of its controversial subject matter: the impact of the one-child policy if the family loses its only child.
"It is going to be screened in 2014, we have the licence, but it is not commercial, so [it] will have a very small [number of screens]," Tang said. "Because of the Chinese climate getting more commercial, it is becoming more and more difficult to be an independent filmmaker. We have been trying to get a screening [slot], but have had to wait for a long time."
All Apologies was one of 14 feature films and eight shorts eligible for the festival awards. All are from emerging directors - any filmmaker who has made more than three films is not eligible - with festival executive president Ray Z. Shen aiming for a programme of 10, but reluctant to turn down any director who approaches him.
Unusually, not all those films were screened at the fest this year. Some of those omitted were not of a suitable format or resolution for the big screen or were adults-only, but mostly their exclusion was down to a lack of sponsors, said Shen.