Trapped in the City of a Thousand Mountains

A film by

the Netherlands / China | 23' | 11/2018 | documentary

A new phenomenon of authentic Chinese rap has taken the internet by storm. But behind the unprecedented gains in popularity, there is a struggle for freedom of speech. Rappers are trying to figure out what they still can and cannot do after new censorship is announced.

Square Eyes - IDFA-BLACK-Comp-ShD18
Square Eyes - Go Short Laurel 2019
Square Eyes - IDFA-BLACK-Comp-ShD18
Square Eyes - Go Short Laurel 2019

David Verbeek

Biography

During his second year in filmschool, he directed the feature film Beat with a budget of only 500 euro’s. It was selected for the International Film Festival Rotterdam, which immediately made him one of the talents to watch. After graduating he left for China, returning three years later with his second feature film Shanghai Trance; a cinematic portrait of Shanghai that depicts a generation of young Chinese, bedazzled by a city that is changing faster than they can grow up. The film was released in China in over 250 cinemas and in late 2008, David made the front page of the Volkskrant newspaper for being the first Dutch director to achieve this. He shot his third feature film in Taiwan, a Dutch/French/co-production. “R U There” is a multi-dimensional experience that was partly filmed in virtual reality. The film got selected to Un Certain Regard in Cannes.
After this he went on to make a number of arthouse films that won prizes at festivals around the world. Most notably for his film Full contact in 2015 about a drone pilot. Which was in the platform competition in Toronto and went on to major A-list festivals competitions such as Tokyo, Rome and Chicago. Verbeek currently lives in Shanghai were he is also active as a video artist and photographer. Video installations such as his two screen installation version of Full contact have been in various galleries and museums. Also his photography series “Ghost Month” and “Shanghai, Dusk till Dawn” were exhibited at multiple venues such as in The MOCA Taipei and the UNSEEN photo fair in Amsterdam. In his latest film An Impossible Small Object he for the first time appears as an actor. The film features his own photography work and is also cut into a 3 screen video installation. Verbeek has become one of the directors who’s work exists on the line between the film industry and the art world.

Filmography

  • Trapped in the City of a Thousand Mountains – short documentary – 2018
  • An Impossibly Small Object– feature – 2018
  • Full Contact– feature – 2015
  • How to Describe a Cloud– feature – 2013
  • Club Zeus – feature – 2011
  • R U There – feature – 2010
  • Shanghai Trance – feature – 2008
  • suicideholiday.net – Short – 2005
  • Beat – feature – 2004
Square Eyes - Director - David Verbeek - Square Eyes

Crew

Director: David Verbeek
Producer: Deep Focus Web Docs: Jos de Putter
Executive producer: Prisca van der Mullen
Cinematographer: David Verbeek
Sound Design & Editing: Quincy Vlijtig
Sound recording: David Verbeek, Prisca van der Mullen
Editor: David Verbeek
Composer: Jegor van Opdorp

Festivals

  • International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam, the Netherlands (14 – 25 November, 2018)
    Short Film Competition
  • DOCVILLE – International Documentary Film Festival, Belgium (27 March – 4 April, 2019)
    Outside the Dox
  • ACT Human Rights Film Festival, United States (5 – 13 April, 2019)
    Official Selection
  • Go Short – International Short Film Festival Nijmegen, the Netherlands (3 – 7 April, 2019)
    Dutch Competition
  • Ismailia Film Festival, Egypt (10 – 16 April, 2019)
    Short Documentary Competition
  • Rooftop Films, United States (Summer 2019)
  • Leiden International Short Film Experience, the Netherlands (9 – 12 May, 2019)
    Official Selection
  • Beat Film Festival, Russia (30 May – 9 June, 2019)
    Official Selection
  • Spain Moving Images Film Festival, Spain (20 – 30 June, 2019)
    Short Film Competition Won: Best Director & Best Moving Images Discovery
  • Kinemastik International Short Film Festival, Malta (25 – 27 July, 2019)
    Competition Won: Jury Award
  • Jecheon International Music & Film Festival, South-Korea (8 – 13 August, 2019)
    Music in Sight
  • Wiz-Art Lviv International Short Film Festival, Ukraine (19 – 25 August, 2019)
    Competition
  • MakeDox Creative Documentary Film Festival, Macedonia (21 – 28 August, 2019)
    Short Film Competition
  • Fest CurtasBH – Belo Horizonte International Short Film Festival, Brazil (30 August – 8 September, 2019)
    Youths Section
  • Duhok International Film Festival, Iraq (9 – 16 September, 2019)
    Short Docs
  • Message to Man International Film Festival, Russia (14 – 21 September, 2019)
    International Competition Won: Best Short Documentary
  • DC Shorts Film Festival, United States (19 – 28 September, 2019)
    Competition
  • Love & Anarchy – Helsinki International Film Festival, Finland (19 – 29 September, 2019)
    Official Selection
  • DMZ DOCS, South Korea (20 – 27 September, 2019)
    Official Selection
  • Nederlands Film Festival, the Netherlands (26 September – 4 October, 2019)
    Forum van Regisseurs & Gouden Kalf Competition
  • PLONS! International Short Documentary Film Festival Leeuwarden, the Netherlands (4 – 6 October, 2019)
    Competition
  • DocsMX International Documentary Film Festival, Mexico (10 – 19 October, 2019)
    Official Selection
  • dokumentART – films & future, Germany (15 – 20 October, 2019)
    European Competition
  • Sapporo International Short Film Festival, Japan (16 – 20 October, 2019)
    Competition
  • Thessaloniki International Short Film Festival, Greece (17 – 20 October, 2019)
    Official Selection
  • RIGA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL, Latvia (17 – 27 October, 2019)
    Competition
  • Bosphorus Film Festival, Turkey (22 – 26 October, 2019)
    Short Documentary Competition
  • Document Human Rights Film Festival, United Kingdom (24 – 27 October, 2019)
    Special on Communities, Collaboration and Performance
  • In-Edit Festival, Spain (24 October – 3 November, 2019)
    Short Fim Showcase
  • Internationale Kurzfilmtage Winterthur, Switzerland (5 – 11 November, 2019)
    Youth Competition 16+
  • PÖFF Shorts, Estonia (19 – 27 November, 2019)
    Non-Competitive
  • Verín International Short Film Festival, Spain (30 November – 8 December, 2019)
    Official Selection
  • BOGOSHORTS – Bogotá Short Film Festival, Colombia (3 – 10 December, 2019)
    International Competition Won: Saint Lucia for Best Documentary International Short Film
  • Short Waves Festival, Poland (17 – 22 March, 2020)
    The Teenage Is Future

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