| The Road to Mandalay | |||||||||||
| Native Name: |
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| Director: | Midi Z | ||||||||||
| Producer: | Patrick Mao Huang Midi Z | ||||||||||
| Starring: | Kai Ko Wu Ke-xi | ||||||||||
| Music: | Lim Giong | ||||||||||
| Cinematography: | Tom Fan | ||||||||||
| Editing: | Matthieu Laclau | ||||||||||
| Distributor: | Vie Vision Pictures | ||||||||||
| Runtime: | 108 minutes | ||||||||||
| Country: | Taiwan Myanmar France Germany | ||||||||||
| Language: | Southwestern Mandarin Burmese Thai | ||||||||||
| Gross: | NT$7.1 million[1] | ||||||||||
The Road to Mandalay is a 2016 internationally co-produced drama film directed by Midi Z.[2] The film premiered at the 73rd edition of the Venice Film Festival in the Venice Days section, in which it was awarded the Fedeora Award for Best Film.[3] It was also screened in the Contemporary World Cinema section at the 2016 Toronto International Film Festival.[4]
A Young Burmese girl, Lien Ching (Wu Ke-xi), smuggles herself in a truck heading for Bangkok, Thailand, aiming to pursue a better life, and eventually even go to Taiwan for better opportunities. In Bangkok she meets A-kuo (Kai Ko), a boy from the same Burmese hometown Lashio, who was less ambitious but pragmatic and had a crush on her.
Lacking proper identification, Liang struggles to find legitimate work and gets arrested as an illegal immigrant by the Thai authorities. She is fined and has to rely on A-kuo's help. Lien Ching becomes desperate to obtain legal paperwork, even if it is fraudulent.
After several failed attempts on the papers and losing money, she finally accepts a solution offered by a drug dealer who requires a huge sum of money. In order to collect the amount, Lien Ching prostitutes herself. This act enrages A-kuo, who has been supporting her.
Lien Ching makes enough money to gain passage into Taiwan, while A-kuo remains left behind. One night shortly before her planned departure, A-kuo jealously murders Lien Ching, and then himself.
| Award ceremony | Category | Recipients | Result | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 53rd Golden Horse Awards | Best Feature Film | The Road to Mandalay | [5] | |
| Best Director | Midi Z | |||
| Best Leading Actor | Kai Ko | |||
| Best Leading Actress | Wu Ke-xi | |||
| Best Original Screenplay | Midi Z | |||
| Best Art Direction | Akekarat Homlaor | |||
| 36th Hong Kong Film Awards | Best Film from Mainland and Taiwan | The Road to Mandalay | [6] | |
| 19th Taipei Film Awards | Press Award | [7] | ||
| 73rd Venice International Film Festival | Fedeora Award for Best Film | [8] | ||
| Youth Film Handbook Awards | Male Actor of the Year | Kai Ko | [9] | |
| 58th Asia-Pacific Film Festival | Best Film | The Road to Mandalay | ||
| Best Director | Midi Z | |||
| Best Actor | Kai Ko | |||
| Best Actress | Wu Ke-xi | |||
| Best Screenplay | Midi Z | |||
| Best Cinematography | Tom Fan | |||
| Best Editing | Matthieu Laclau | |||
| Best Art Direction | Akekarat Homlaor | |||