top of page
The Park is Public
China | 2024 | 20 min | Drama | Mandarin Chinese / Henan Dialect
Director: LI Yan
Screening Time：10/18/2025
10:30 am – 12:12 pm
Synopsis:
After the death of his wife, Lao Li's son moves him from their small Shandong town to a bustling city for better care. Isolated from his familiar community, Lao Li feels lonely and struggles to fit in due to cultural, regional, and dialect barriers. In a local park, he meets two elderly men. One shares common interests, while the other is unwelcoming. As a veteran, Lao Li’s task of filming a video for his old unit brings him back to the park. He tries to integrate and is eventually accepted, but then discovers they are gay and suspects his son might be too. Angered, he leaves. However, past encounters and memories lead him to a change of heart, and he chooses to return to the park once more.
*Validated parking by the theater at the Trader Joe, 9290 Culver Blvd, Culver City, CA 90232
Trailer
Film Still
 |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|
 |  |  |  |
 |  |  |  |
About The Director
LI Yan
Li Yan, a 35-year-old filmmaker, graduated from university in 2011 and spent over a decade in advertising as a creative professional. In 2023, he left his job to pursue a career in film, enrolling in the Directing program at the Beijing Film Academy for a year. There, he wrote and directed his graduation short film, "In the Park." He later participated in the Shenzhen Bay Area Short Film Creation Season, where his project "no magic in life" was among the top three selected for incubation. Li Yan is currently working on his first feature film script, showcasing his transition from advertising to a promising career in filmmaking.
Director's Statement
In modern society, parks, once envisioned as spaces for public life, often lack genuine communal interactions. My film explores the increasing societal fragmentation and underscores the need for transcending ideological divides to create spaces for public dialogue. This narrative reflects the broader context of China's rapid urbanization over the past decades, highlighting the dissonance between economic growth and evolving social values. The resulting conflicts epitomize the challenges faced today. Through the symbolic setting of a park, my film seeks to re-emphasize the spirit of "the public" and explore the possibilities of coexistence and acceptance. It imagines a more harmonious public life, encouraging viewers to envision a better communal future.
bottom of page