The Tale of The Day
Animation, 14 min, by Ying-Fang Shen
Adapted from an ancient Chinese demonic story and revised from the artist’s previous work: “The White Snake,” “The Tale of The Day” tells of a tragic romance of human male and female snakes. In a rainy day, a young man encountered by the lake two snake demons in the disguised form of a beautiful lady in white and her maidservant in green. Falling for the young man, the white snake tried to seduce him, who, despite the demonic/animal nature of his lover, chose to enjoy the seduction and keep the relationships together with the maidservant. The days of lust did not last long. A pang of sudden fear struck him one day, and he fled as fast as he could.
“The Tale of The Day” is divided into three parts— encounter, enchantment, and epiphany— so as to express a shift from the obsession of lust to the transcendence and enlightenment. This shift corresponds to the metamorphosis of the characters in the animation. All the characters, except the male protagonist, can transform themselves. Such transformation in shape was not just the original theme of demonic stories. Instead, it suggests the idea of inconsistency— not merely the inconsistency in the physical existence of objects but also that of earthly desire, such as sexuality.
FILM FESTIVAL OFFICIAL SELECTIONS:
La Rioja esde Cine (Sep 12-17, 2016), Logroño & Haro, Spain
Lyon International Film Festival. Lyon, France, July 23 - 24, 2016
Incorto Festival (June 2016), México City, Mexico
NonStop Barcelona Animació (May 19 - 20, 2016), Barcelona, Spain
Near Nazareth Festival (May 18-30, 2016 ). Afula, Israel
Arraial Cine Fest (Feb 29 - Mar 4, 2016), Porto Seguro, Brazil
Cabin Fever Film Festival (Jan 21, 2016), Mississippi Museum of Art, Jackson, MS (invited)
Grand OFF Film Awards (Dec 3 - 7, 2015), Poland, Warsaw
Competition Program of the 19th International Video Festival VIDEOMEDEJA (Oct 23 - 25, 2015), Museum of Contemporary Art of Vojvodina, Novi Sad, Serbia
NYC Independent Film Festival (Oct 12 - 18, 2015), New York, NY
Official Competition at AniFest ROZAFA Film Festival 2015 (Sep 20 - 27, 2015) Shkodra, Albania
Competition Programme of the 3rd International Short Film Festival SHORT FORM (Sep 19 - 27, 2015), Gornji Milanovac, Serbia
Cartoon Club - Festival Internazionale del Cinema d'Animazione e del Fumetto di Rimini (Sep 15 - 18, 2015), Rimini, RN, Italy
Cinema Monster Film Festival (June 2 - 4, 2015), Huntingdon PA, USA
Short@ Fringe at Azores Fringe Festival (May 29 - June 30, 2015), Azores, Portugal
Animazele MIAFF! - Montreal International Film Festival (Apr 16 - 19, 2015), Montreal, Canada
Norwich Film Festival (Apr 10 - 25, 2015), Norwich, Norfolk, UK
Crossroads Film Festival (Apr 9 - 15, 2015), Jackson, MS, USA
International Motion Festival (Mar 26 - 29, 2015), European University Cyprus (EUC), Cyprus
Primavera Cinemística / Cinemística Film Festival (Mar 21 - Jun 29, 2015), Granada, Spain
Richmond International Film Festival (Feb 26 - Mar 1, 2015), Richmond,VA, USA
Beeston Film Festival (Jan 24 - 25, 2015), Nottingham, UK
Kanyakumari International Film Festival (Dec 20 - 22, 2014), Kanyakumari, India
Nile’s Diaspora International Film Festival (Nov 21 - 28, 2014), Kampala, Uganda
Festival Internacional de Cortometrajes FENACO Perú (Nov 12 - 15, 2014), Cusco, Peru
FFFilm Project (Nov 11 - 13, 2014), Porto, Portugal
Oregon Underground FIlm Festival (Nov 01 - 04, 2014), Online Festival
Anim!Arte (Oct 21 - 30, 2014), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Muestra Audiovisual Cine Sinú (Oct 14 - 19, 2014), Muestra, Colombia
CineFest Global (Oct 6 - 11, 2014), Katy, TX, USA
Woodstock Museum Film Festival (Aug 29 - Sept 2, 2014), Saugerties, NY, USA
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AWARDS
Gold Remi Winner. WorldFest-Houston, 2015, Houston, TX
3rd place: Best Film - North America, World Cultures - Professionals. 2014 Anim!Arte, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
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OTHER SCREENINGS
The MAIN Event: A Weekend Celebration for the Arts. Norfolk, VA, Mar. 24 - 26,
James River Filmmakers Forum. Richmond, VA, Mar. 25, 2017
ShortsHD, USA Channel, November 1, 2015 - November 1, 2018