RIDING ALONE FOR THOUSANDS OF MILES (Qian li zou dan qi)

A Japanese father decides to follow his dying son’s dream of filming a particular Chinese masked dancer in a remote area of China. Despite enormous bureaucratic roadblocks and a complete lack of understanding of Mandarin, Takata finally tracks down the dancer…in prison. Li refuses to dance for the camera until he can see his young son. Takata goes off to an even more inaccessible region of the huge country to try to bring the little boy to his father. In the process Takata learns more about fathers and sons than he ever knew when he lost contact with his own son. This beautiful, sensitive film contains wonderful portrayals and breath-taking imagery. -- Chale Nafus