Beijing 2003. As the capital strives to transform itself into a world-class cosmopolitan city, many foreigners are drawn to Beijing. In a city full of surprises and contradictions, many are finding refuge in the trendy bar, Neo-Lounge, run by a hip Shanghainese couple. The film follows a year in the lives of a Bulgarian jazz singer after she lands her first gig during the SARS epidemic period, as the mass exodus of people both foreigners and locals that followed, left the streets eerily empty, and a larger-than-life Italian businessman whose parties never seem to cease at his lavish home. As they both strive to chase their dreams and find their own space in unpredictable Beijing, they, together with their colorful friends, soon find out that escaping their past isn't always easy.

Sceneggiatura / Screenplay Joanna Vasquez Arong
Fotografia (colore) / Photography (colour) Joanna Vasquez Arong, Jakob
Mader
Montaggio / Editing Joanna Vasquez Arong, Amanda McGregor
Musica / Music Drew Hanratty, Yan Zhi Qiang
Suono / Sound Stephen Haywood, Sam Storer
Interpreti / Cast Diliana Georgieva, Leonardo Griglié, Koko Shinoda
Produzione / Production
Anno di produzione / Year of production 2007
Durata / Running time 86’
Formato / Format

Joanna Vasquez Arong

She graduated in Political Science / International Studies from Boston College (with a year exchange at the Institut d'Etudes Politiques, Paris) and mastered in Development and Environmental Studies at the London School of Economics. She worked in various fields including finance (Deutsche Bank, Asia-Pacific region) and economic development (United Nations, Bangkok, Beijing), prior debuting on short documentaries in the Philippines. After reading about the then underground scene in Beijing and Beijing's win in the Olympic bid in 2001, she decided 2002 to move to Beijing to pursue her dream of filmmaking. She produced, directed and edited two experimental short films, Lao Shan, Lao Yin (Old Mountains, Old Shadows) (AFM 2006) and The Temple (2005). Neo-Lounge (2007) is her feature debut film. At present she is working at the experimental documentary Yugong Yishan.