Prisoner’s Dilemma
A Li Zhenhua Film, 79mins, color, stereo sound, 2018

Film screening 28.2. at 18:00. The Director Li Zhenhua is present for a talk after the screening.

Myymälä2 gallery is delighted to present Prisoner’s Dilemma, a film by director Li Zhenhua, it will be projected at Myymälä2 gallery on 28.2. at 18:00. The director Li Zhenhua is present for a talk after the screening. The film was realised in 2017 during a residency in HIAP – Helsinki International Artist Programme, and it features actors Laura Malmivaara and Sampo Sarkola in the unique frame of Suomenlinna island.

The visit of Li Zhenhua in Helsinki is generously supported by Frame Contemporary Art Finland.

Prisoner’s Dilemma pays homage to Aki Kaurismäki, a film Godard says is about reflective cinema, but not entirely. The film documents Finnish Independence Day, Nazi marches and many natural and dramatic images. It all begins on the island of Suomenlinna, where people were once imprisoned, a former Sweden, the Soviet front, and now Finland. Li Zhenhua began making feature-length films in 2017, hoping to use cinematic time, replacing real-time, to observe real things through the lens, providing a sense of gaze and a perspective on the real, but not entirely.

Li Zhenhua (b. 1975) has been active in the artistic field since 1996, his practice mainly concerning curation, art creation and project management. He has been the nominator for the Summer Academy at the Zentrum Paul Klee Bern, as well as for The Prix Pictet. He is a member of the international advisory board for the exhibition “Digital Revolution” at the Barbican Centre in the UK, received as member of the international advisory board for Videotage and Symbiotica. Since 2000 he has focused on curating and dialogue with the 6th generation filmmakers and documentary film makers from China: he was involved in CIFF, curated Heat: Zhang Yuan solo show in Nanjing, China, 2010, he works as a producer on Shen Shaomin’s documentary film I am Chinese, in 2007. He often works as a jury in the film and arts field, such as Shorti, Napolis Film festival, Transmediale, CCAA, CIFF, Fantoche. Li Zhenhua has edited several artists’ publications, including “Yan Lei: What I Like to Do” (Documenta, 2012), “Hu Jieming: One Hundred Years in One Minute” (2010), “Feng Mengbo: Journey to the West” (2010), and “Yang Fudong: Dawn Mist, Separation Faith” (2009). A collection of his art reviews was published under the title “Text” in 2013. Exhibitions and prizes: The 3rd Ural Industrial Biennale of contemporary art in 2016; The Regional Contemporary Art Project, INNOVATION Prize, Russia, and Curator of the Year, TANC Asia Prize, Shanghai in 2015; Curator of the Year, Art Power 100, Beijing in 2014.

Film credits

Prisoner’s Dilemma, a Li Zhenhua Film, duration 79’:00’’, color, sound stereo, English subtitles, 2018.

Actress
Laura Malmivaara
Astri Laitinen
Alina Anderson
Filip Jagerroos
Aura Hakuri
Linda Granfors
Hitomi Usui

Actor
Sampo Sarkola
Aarno IImari Rankka

Cinematographer
ZHANG Shengbin

Artistic Director / Sound Recordist
CHEN Xiao

Writer / Director / Editor / Sound Recordist
LI Zhenhua

Producer
JU Anqi
SHEN Lihui

Music & Sound
ZHANG Jian
ZHAO Sizhi

Graphic Design
HE Jianping & HESIGN DESIGN STUDIO