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The Zhang Empresses
IDFA 2006

The Zhang Empresses

Kejsarinnorna Zhang
Christina Höglund
Sweden
2005
46 min
n.a.
Festival history
Four 10-year-old Chinese girls, all of whom were adopted by Swedish parents on the same day and have become friends, travel to China for the first time to get acquainted with their native country. They also visit the orphanage that cared for them until they were adopted. Assertive, giggly, serious, girlish and vulnerable, Nanna, Alice, Mimmi and Linnéa fly to Shanghai with their Swedish parents. They look at the world through eyes that are both attentive and still young. This makes a moving rite of passage for four girls who feel alien in Sweden, but are also stared at by the locals in China. The director does not dramatise, but observes and recognises the light-heartedness that the four friends display on occasion. They dislike the strict travelling schedule their guide has mapped out for them, but they depend on him because they don't speak Mandarin. They bargain in shops and comment on their experiences. When they arrive at the orphanage, the tone becomes more serious. One thing is certain: the trip has made the bond between the four girls even stronger than before.
Credits
World Sales
Screening copy
    NIFO-Bild
    NIFO-Bild
Involved TV Channel
    SVT
    SVT