Xie Meng

In the heart of a botanical garden in a medieval university town in Germany stands a majestic ginkgo tree. This silent witness has observed over a century the quiet rhythms of transformation across three human lives. At three distinct moments across the 20th and 21st centuries, these people — each carrying their own questions and inner struggles — inevitably find themselves drawn into the presence of this tree, full of mystery and meaning.

Director Anthony Chen and Qu Chuxiao collaborate for the second time to tell a story about bodies and regrets in the rainforests of Malaysia.

Different groups of people wander in a rainy, windy, dark world. They spend time together, trying to get away from their depressing jobs, meandering constantly towards a disturbing surreal queer fantasy.

Zhuang is a late bloomer. When he first meets his classmate Meng, a talented long-distance runner, he rashly and spontaneously takes the blame for her theft of a starting pistol. But before they can get to know each other better, Meng gives him the cold shoulder. Confused, Zhuang decides to join Meng’s track team, even though this leaves him with less time for studying. Academic pressure is added to the puzzles of adolescence. Zhuang plans to surprise everyone with a bold gesture. He is just waiting for the right moment...

In cold wintry Yanji, a city on China's northern border, young urbanite Haofeng, visiting from Shanghai, feels lost and adrift. By chance, he goes on a tour led by Nana, a charming tour guide who instantly fascinates him. She introduces him to Xiao, a personable but frustrated restaurant worker. The three bond quickly over a drunken weekend. Confronting their individual traumas, their frozen desires slowly thaw as they seek to liberate themselves from an icy world.

Featuring seven stories from seven auteurs from around the world, the film chronicles this unprecedented moment in time, and is a true love letter to the power of cinema and its storytellers.