Shi Tou

A Chinese village deep in the countryside: home to ten-year-old Zhu Hongbo, whom everyone calls 'Stonehead'. He is one of many children whose parents have moved to the big cities as migrant workers. With only their grandparents and a few teachers around, they have to find others to look up to – or become role models themselves. As a county model student, Stonehead receives not just a certificate, but also a brand-new football. Yet his joy at receiving this reward soon makes way for disappointment. With its documentary-like gaze, Zhao Xiang's debut film tells the moving and astute tale of children left behind in rural China, and how their individual wishes come into conflict with obligations towards the community. (Berlinale)