YEUNG FAÏ, un dernier maître de marionnettes

In French

Yeung Faï embodies the last generation of a great dynasty of Chinese puppeteers. His father, a revered master, was persecuted during the Cultural Revolution for his “academic and reactionary” art. “The infamy” of the father meant ruin for the family and a miserable childhood for Yeung Faï. After the bloody events of Tian’anmen Square, Faï decided to leave China.

He took refuge in France where he was able to create his first show, the autobiographical Hand Stories. Play after play he has confirmed his talents as a great artist and puppet master. His second production, Blue Jeans, takes place in a Chinese jeans factory, where they produce the emblematic trousers of globalization. Blue Jeans confirms Yeung Faï’s commitment to exploring contemporary approaches to puppetry arts.

He now lives in Charleville-Mézières in the Champagne-Ardenne region of France, where he is very involved in and teaches at the École Nationale Supérieure des Arts de la Marionnette. He also mentored the 9^th cohort of students from their arrival at the school to their final examination performance.

This documentary offers a portrait of an artist and his tormented life’s journey. Despite his many ordeals, Yeung Faï has overcome adversity and shown himself to be a determined and perseverant artist. This documentary film is inspired by the wonderful and tragic stories told in his shows.

DURATION: 52 min

Photos

FAì

Company

Christian Passuello has been making documentary films for more than twenty years.

“Whatever the subject, whether Flamenco music, cannabis, childhood, identity or memory, in the end, what others experience, I also experience. Even when I am not actively filming, I am nevertheless a filmmaker.”

Credits

Director: Christian Passuello
Producer: Les Films du Sud, Vosges Télévision and Agovision
TV Broadcasting: Vosges TV