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On the remote and mysterious Yushu Plateau in Qinghai, a journey of searching for sounds and dreams quietly begins. This is the unique picture presented by the documentary film "One and Many" which will be released on August 8.

One and Many poster

This documentary film directed by Zhou Hongbo and produced by Mei Feng was shortlisted for the main competition unit of the 18th FIRST Youth Film Festival. "One" refers to the truth of the world, which exists in the children's singing; "many" refers to this changing world and the changes of all things. In the film, the four seasons of the plateau rotate, life continues, and the songs echoing in the growth of all things are eternal. The film tells the story of a selection, a journey and a discovery.

In the film, most of the singing children were born after the Yushu earthquake in 2010. In the land that has experienced disasters and sufferings, new life has redeemed the past pain in the rotation of the four seasons on the plateau.

As the camera moves forward, the audience seems to be in the pure land surrounded by snow-capped mountains, witnessing how the instructors step by step go deep into the hinterland of the snow-capped mountains and visit the schools scattered on the plateau. There, the children's smiles are as bright as the sunshine on the plateau, and their singing is as clear as water, pure and flawless, as if it can directly touch the softest part of people's hearts.

The film explores the beautiful children's voices and folk songs, and shows the children's understanding of life and love for nature through their eyes. Their singing is an artistic expression and a call to the world. The film hopes to convey the power of tenacity, simplicity and belief through singing.

Children singing in the documentary

Director Zhou Hongbo chose a minimalist recording method in his shooting technique, using a large number of repeated fixed mid-shot positions to "gaze" at the singing of each child. He once talked about in an interview that time becomes very long when looking at the world on a plateau at an altitude of nearly 4,000 meters. Because he wanted to present this length, he decided to present it in a minimalist way. "Use self-restrained shooting to gaze at these children in an immersive way." In addition to recording these visits to the "good voices of the plateau", with the task of home visits by teachers, the team's shooting has moved from school to home, presenting the life experiences of Tibetans through spatial fluidity.

Producer Wang Wan talked about the shock she felt when filming the children in her sharing session after the Shanghai road show on August 3. "When you see these children, they are very awkward and always keep their heads down, but when they start singing, they seem to become another person, full of confidence." The authentic Tibetan folk songs sung by those children made Wang Wan feel that "it was like the voice of God, always placed in that realm, and the songs have been passed down from ancient times to the present."

"One and Many" is a precious record of the folk song culture of Yushu, Qinghai, and also an opportunity for the audience to get closer to the depths of the plateau. Through the power of music, people can more deeply understand and respect the commonalities and unique beauty between different cultures. The film will be released nationwide on August 8.

The film premiered at the 18th FIRST Youth Film Festival