30th Ji.hlava International Documentary Film Festival

23. 10.–1. 11. 2026
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3 Lost in Towersplay
3 Lost in Towers
3 Lost in Towers
3 Lost in Towers
3 Lost in Towers

3 Lost in Towers

Jingyuan Liang, Shizhao Ye / China, United Kingdom / 2026 / International Premiere / 17 min.


synopsis

The fractured walls of unfinished houses in the filmmaker’s hometown become screens for images of family life crushed by punishing labour. The digitally resurrected voice of a “white glove” – an intermediary between Chinese authorities, banks and investors – recounts a life that came to a tragic end with the collapse of the property market.

“My uncle was the ‘maverick’ of our family and at times a source of crises. His life was a wild obsession with land; his ambitions and solitude reflect a microcosm of China’s history, from land reform and urban demolition to the real estate debt crisis.” — Jingyuan Liang

biography

Jingyuan Liang is a Chinese director and screenwriter based in Beijing. She studied film directing at the Central Academy of Drama in Beijing and visual anthropology in London. Working at the intersection of reality and fiction, she combines film and ethnography, focusing on oral history, politics and women’s experiences. Her works include Growing (2021) and Play (2024).

Ye Shizhao is a Chinese filmmaker and screenwriter. He is studying contemporary visual culture at the National Taiwan University of Arts. His work focuses on film archives and the Asian essay film. His films explore narrative forms and political themes. He co-directed 3 Lost in Towers with Jingyuan Liang and wrote the screenplay for her film Play.

film details

director: Jingyuan Liang, Shizhao Ye
producer: Jingyuan Liang
photography: Zhusheng Huang
editing: Jingyuan Liang
music: Xuezhou He
sound: Zheng Qian, Mingjia Chen
Distributor: Viviane Lianghui Li, Wenting Huang

contact

Lianghui Li
vivianfilm831@gmail.com

Film at festival

premiere type:International Premiere
festival edition:2026
section:Fascinations
language:Cantonese, Mandarin Chinese
colour:Colour

Info

director:Jingyuan Liang, Shizhao Ye
original title:跳房子
country:China, United Kingdom
year:2026
running time:17 min.
warning:Suicide, self-harm references

Festival partners

Ministerstvo kultury
Fond kinematografie
Město Jihlava
Kraj Vysočina
Creative Europe Media
Pale Fire Capital
Česká televize
Český rozhlas
Respekt
Dafilms

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