The Botanist

Pitch

In a remote village nestled in a valley on the northern border of Xinjiang, China, Arsin, a young Kazakh boy, finds refuge among the plants. His encounter with Meiyu, a lively and unpredictable Han girl, transforms his world: her energy reminds him of a rare and mysterious plant. Their growing friendship evolves into a delicate and dreamlike allegory where reality merges with the enchanting world of botany. “I wanted to create an almost fairytale-like universe where plants and human beings are intimately and inextricably linked. The nomadic memories of the young Kazakh boy—his maternal grandfather, his uncle, his cousin—resurface at different stages of his eternal life. These reminiscences bridge the communication gap between the boy and the girl, while the plants become the soul of their relationship.” Human beings yearn for eternal love, just as plants vibrate to the passionate rhythm of the seasons… In the valleys and steppes of Xinjiang, the light remains brilliant even on cloudy days. Luminous yet melancholic, its memory resembles a vine growing in the shade. – Jing Yi