Chinese dark comedy 'Dead Pigs' premieres at Sundance

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‍Dark comedy “Dead Pigs” is a mosaic of modern China that has premiered in the Sundance Film Festival's World Cinema Dramatic Competition.

It was written and directed by Cathy Yan, a former reporter turned filmmaker.

"I will always be a little bit of a reporter at heart. I don’t think they are that different,” she told CGTN Digital following the film’s premiere. “I think I am always going to have sort of a reporter edge to my filmmaking.”

“Dead Pigs” is set between Shanghai and Jiaxing, a town in northern Zhejiang Province. It centers on five people: A down-on-his-luck pig farmer looking to repay his debt, a feisty house owner defending her property, a busboy hiding his real job from his father, a rich girl finding her independence and an expat seeking the Chinese Dream.

Their stories intersect over the course of a few weeks as 16,000 dead pigs float towards Shanghai and ultimately converge one fateful morning in a showdown between human and machine as the nation’s past and future collide.

Cleanup efforts on Huangpu River in China, March 13, 2013. / VCG

“Dead Pigs” is based on real-life events. In early March 2013, over 16,000 dead pigs were found in the Shanghai Songjiang section of the Huangpu River, which supplies the city of Shanghai with some of its drinking water. The pigs were dumped by farmers in neighboring Jiaxing, a major pig farming area that is upstream of Shanghai.

“'Dead Pigs' is a snapshot of the country as I see it and a result of my unique identity between worlds — as both an insider and an outsider of China,” Yan said.

She was born in China in 1986 and moved to the US in 1990, but has visited China every year since.

“I was inspired about how it happened. What I found really interesting about the dead pigs was the repercussions,” Yan said.

“I was like why don’t we make a film and get in the head of five very different people to understand both sides of something. Really no right or wrong.”

The “Dead Pigs” cast includes veteran actor Vivian Wu, Director Ang Lee’s son Mason Lee, Li Meng, Yang Haoyu, David Rysdhal, and star of hit US television series “Atlanta”, Zazie Beetz.

Yan's feature directorial debut was invested in by Alibaba Pictures and Media Asia with China’s premiere arthouse filmmaker, Jia Zhangke, serving as executive producer.

“I believe these smaller more intimate stories can travel and show a different side of China,” Yan said. “Showing the people, the humanity.”

So far, reviews of the movie from Sundance have been complimentary.

"Dead Pigs" Movie. / Seesaw Entertainment LTD.

She told CGTN Digital she has tried to stay clear of the reviews but the positive feedback has been overwhelming.

“I hope it leads the way to create more films from China,” Yan said.

She said while “Dead Pigs” was specific to China, it has themes that are universal.

“It is a Chinese film set in China but it resonates with people,” Yan said. “I still believe China is one of the most fascinating places in the world and there is a ton of amazing stories there. So in all likelihood, I will be back.”

The Sundance Film Festival runs through January 28.

Check out the film clip above.