Notebook from China

Danish film director Jørgen Leth is well known for his drama-documentaries such as »Stars and Water Carriers«, »A Sunday in Hell«, »Peter Martins - A Dancer«, »66 Scenes from America« and many others. Now he has made a feature-length documentary called »Notebook from China«. The film is based on more than twenty hours of film made during 6,000 kilometres train journey through China. »I was happily surprised by how open and trustful the Chinese were. There were no restrictions, no bureaucratic trouble at all«, Jørgen leth says. »I haven't made the film with a definite viewpoint, a definite intention. Rather I have chosen to focus on people and groups I met.« The film deals with seven stories about an old painter, a train engineer, a family living on a sampan, a group of female bike riders and three opera singers who are part of the first Chinese performance of »The Wedding of Figaro«.