Last scene from the Teaser:
Andrew and the band members of SUBS are on their way by train to Hunan to play a concert with Cui Jian, the Godfather of Chinese Rock.
Andrew (behind camera): "So what do you think of Cui Jian?"
Kang Mao: "Cui Jian is handsome. Cui Jian is the Godfather."
Andrew: "How about SUBS? Ever heard of that band?"
Kang Mao: "Nobody's heard of SUBS, people just know Cui Jian. SUBS is a bit....strange."
About the Film
Focusing on the hardcore rock band SUBS led by the outspoken female singer Kang Mao, but also featuring several other bands in China's growing indie rock scene, Down (52 min. with English and Chinese subtitles) documents these bands and their struggles to make music in a country that is run by the authoritarian Communist Party. From the sweaty stages of dark underground clubs in Beijing and Wuhan to huge outdoor concerts and rock festivals in Beijing, Shanghai, and Hunan, Down features some of the hottest indie rock bands performing in the PRC. Filmmaker and narrator Andrew David Field takes viewers on a journey through a rapidly changing China, interviewing band members, music promoters, and rock club owners hellbent on bringing their music and their message to a bigger audience in China and around the world. Set in the context of contemporary China, Down highlights the disenchantment of talented Chinese youths resisting the tug of mainstream society as they make their own pathways through life. It touches on universal themes of youthful alienation and freedom of artistic expression, while also highlighting the power of music to bring people together.
About the Filmmakers
Written, produced, and filmed by Andrew David Field. Andrew is a China expert and an author of a book and several articles on historical and contemporary popular and music culture in urban China, who is currently teaching for New York University in Shanghai. This is his first feature-length documentary intended for commercial distribution. Co-written, produced, and edited by Jud Willmont. Jud runs a production company in Shanghai, Willmountain Films and has shot and produced another feature-length documentary film on Taiji in China. Both filmmakers hail from the Boston area, and both are long-term residents of Shanghai and are fluent in the Chinese language.
Technicalities
The footage for Down was originally shot on mini-DV using a Canon AX-H1 HD camera in the summer and fall of 2007, and edited on a Mac platform using Final Cut Pro over the following three years.
Reviews and Testimonials
"[Down] is the next best thing to a backstage pass to the green rooms of some of the coolest bands in the country. And the soundtrack rocks." --JFK Miller, Chief Editor of That's Shanghai , November 2010. To see the full article, click here.
"Andrew Field is the Alan Lomax of the contemporary Chinese rock scene. This film will have an enduring value for decades to come." --Matt Harding, Shanghai-based American guitarist and songwriter
"Hands down the best film on China's indie rock scene produced to date. The footage is the best I've seen of China's rock bands in action." --Matt Kagler, owner of Tagteam Records in Beijing
"A real time capsule of a defining moment in the recent history of Chinese rock'n'roll." --Michael Pettis, Owner of Beijing Rock Club D-22
"The more I think about it, the better the film gets. Andrew and Jud have put a tremendous amount of work into producing this film, offering a fresh and balanced portrait of China's younger rock generation." Andreas Steen, China scholar and author of many articles on China's Rock music (Aarhus University, DK)
About the Bands featured in Down
SUBS: One of China's most respected hardcore rock bands, with influences ranging from Fugazi to the Hives, SUBS hail from Wuhan and Zhengzhou in central China. Backed by powerful guitarist Wu Hao, bassist Zhu Lei, and drummer Zhang Shun (more recently replaced by Li Fan), lead singer Kang Mao belts out her own songs in her own inimitable style. SUBS has been called "the most sought after live rock act in China." The outspoken and politically conscious Kang Mao is one of the film's key interviewees. She narrates her own difficult journey as a rocker and the tough sacrifices she has made to get where she is and live the life she wants to live. You can hear their music and learn more about the band at: http://www.myspace.com/subsband
PK-14: Fronted by a nerdy-looking poet, intellectual, and songwriter from Nanjing named Yang Haisong, PK-14 is considered by many to be the leading voice of indie rock in China today. The band touches a chord with Chinese youths through Yang's meditative lyrics that touch on vital issues in Chinese society today. Energetic and lively on the stage, Yang is thoughtful and introspective in person and provides a compelling and memorable interview. For more information about this band, see their website: http://www.myspace.com/pk14
Carsick Cars: One of China's most touted indie rock bands, chosen by Sonic Youth to open for them in 2007, this band has gathered attention all over the world. Lead singer and guitarist Zhang Shouwang has been hailed as one of the geniuses of contemporary music by New Yorker music critic Alex Ross. For more info about this band, see their site: http://www.myspace.com/carsickcars
Hedgehog (Ciwei): This young trio from Beijing has been making a huge splash in the country's indie rock scene since they first appeared in the mid-2000s. 2007 was definitely their year to shine. Diminutive female drummer Atom is widely recognized as one of the most exciting drummers in the indie rock scene, and Zi Jian shreds the guitar as he sings their fun and nonsensical songs with Atom on backing vocals. Interviewed for the film, the band testifies to the struggles that they and many other rock bands in China are going through as they pursue their rock dreams. For more info about Hedgehog, go to this site: http://www.myspace.com/hedgehogcn
Lonely China Day (Jimo Xiari): This Beijing-based band features two guitarists, Deng Pei and Wang Dongtao, who have crafted a unique blend of traditional Chinese and cutting-edge Western music often likened to Sigur Ros or The Album Leaf. Deng Pei's lyrics are influenced by Song dynasty poems. With its carefully crafted light shows and melodic guitarwork, the band takes its audiences on a mesmerizing journey through China's past and into its future. See their website for more details: http://www.myspace.com/lonelychinaday
Re-TROS: Fronted by Hua Dong on guitar and vocals, backed by bassist Liu Min, this band has also garnered a lot of notice in China and abroad. Their dark lyrics and gritty industrial sound reminiscent of the '80s band Bauhaus has a haunting quality, and Hua Dong sings and strums with a violent and gripping intensity. For more info about this band, go to: http://www.myspace.com/rebuildingtherightsofstatues
Flying Fruit (Yuguo): Hailing from southern Jiangxi Province, this rock-pop band came to Shanghai in 2006 to find their fortunes. Their crowd-pleasing songs have a more commercially-oriented style than most of the Beijing-based rock bands featured in the film, but they are still very much an indie rock act struggling to make it on the Chinese scene. For more about this band, see this website: http://www.rockinchina.com/w/Yuguo
Cui Jian: Known as the "godfather of Chinese rock," Cui Jian began his career as a rock musician and songwriter in the 1980s, at a time when making rock music in the PRC was a controversial act. His involvement with the protest movement in 1989 and the elevation of his song "I Have Nothing" to anthem status during that movement, as well as his subtly anti-establishment lyrics, eventually got him banned from the public stage in his hometown of Beijing. By the early 2000s, Cui Jian was once again aloud to perform most if not all of his songs and since then he has been an active rock musician, performing all over the country to that adulation of countless thousands of fans. While Cui Jian is not part of the contemporary indie rock scene, his gigantic shadow still looms over that scene and he continues to influence younger bands with his message if not his music. Cui Jian makes a special appearance at the end of the film and delivers a memorable message about the power of music to move the soul. For more about this artist see: http://www.cuijian.com/
Contact Info
For information about this film and how to buy a copy or view a preview screener, please write to Andrew Field at shanghaidrew@gmail.com
Related Links
Some of the music of bands featured in our film and information about their upcoming shows may be found on the following websites: http://maybemars.org/ http://www.tagteamrecords.com/
