Grand Prix of the Generation Kplus section, Berlin International Film Festival 2025
In a village in a remote valley on the northern border of Xinjiang, China, a lonely Kazakh boy named Arsin nurses fading memories of his family. He finds solace in the company of plants. The arrival of Meiyu, a Han Chinese girl, is like the discovery of a plant he has never seen before, bringing him comfort and a strange sense of wonder. Together, they grow like two distinct species, rooted in a shared corner of the world, imagining the valley as an endless ocean. But one day, Arsin learns that Meiyu will be moving to Shanghai, which is 4,792 kilometres away a distance he struggles to comprehend. She is headed to a city where the ocean actually exists. Arsin is left alone to grapple with the quiet shifts in their small, fragile world.
A native of Xinjiang, China, and a graduate of the Beijing Film Academy, Jing Yi made several short films before embarking on his first feature,The Botanist. While still in development, the film won the New Horse Award at the 2023 Asian Project Market. Upon its premiere at the 2025 Berlin International Film Festival, the film captured the Crystal Bear for Generation Kplus Best Film.
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