The Day is Over, directed by talented Chinese Young filmmaker Qi Rui, has won Firebird Award at The 45th Hong Kong International Film Festival (HKIFF45).

In naming QI Rui’s The Day is Over Best Film of this year’s Young Cinema Competition (Chinese Language), the jury praised it for “aptly portraying contemporary society’s lack of care for the young generation and the subsequent impact on the development of their personal values”.

Acceptance Speech from Qi Rui below:

“I’d like to thank the Hong Kong International Film Festival and the judges in particular.

I always worried that film was a solo-pursuit, but when I began to really immerse myself into this career, I found that it affected all aspects of my life, and those around me.

I’d especially gratefull for the wonderful and talented actors: Li Yingchun, Yu Ying, Kong Jingyao, Chen Huihui; you are really the best. And to the companions who shot with me in the mountains. Thank you for your all-out efforts in a difficult environment.

Many people pushed me forward along the way. Some taught me not to give up in the face of adversity and other paved the way for me whatn I was at a loss.

Thank you Ms. Shen Yang, Mr. Wang Qingqiang, Mr. Zhang Xiang, Chairman Marco Müller, Director Jia Zhangke, Mr. Wu Jueren, and my mentors and colleagues who have encouraged and supported me along the way. Thank you for your guidance.

And thank you for the hard work and persistence of our release team, without which we wouldn’t have today’s The Day Is Over.

The Firebird Award means so much to me. It encourages and supports me, and it’s an expression of concern for children left behind in the country,

During this period the world has been deeply affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, a number of respected predecessors in Hong Kong film have left us. We thank them for their excellence and for having moved us to tears and laughter.

Thank you to Hong Kong cinema, the Hong Kong International Film Festival, and the Firebird for giving me wings.”

About story:

Living quietly in the mountains, 12-year-old Zhang Jiaxing faces humiliation when she finds a dirty note and is accused of theft by her classmates. Assisted by her good friend who is sent back to the village, Jiaxing gets the money they need to go find her father in Shenzhen, yet her plan is wrecked when the wardrobe in which her money is hidden is accidently sold by her grandmother. Unable to repay the loan, and hopeless to see their parents, the girls resolve to find their way out in the pond, where they can be embraced once again, just like in their mother’s womb.