Stammering Ballad

Chinese Visual Festival

A visually stunning documentary following a young Chinese folk singer who leaves his hometown for the big city, only to find himself slowly returning to his roots. On this journey, his humour, anger and powerful folk songs all grow from the soil and dust of his deserted hometown. 
 
Stammering Ballad / 黃河尕謠
Country: China
Year: 2018
Director: Nan Zhang
Running Time: 111 mins
Format: Digital
Language and Subtitles: In Mandarin and Dialect with English Subtitles
Film Type: Documentary
 
In Nan Zhang’s visually stunning, elegiac documentary, three decades ago, with the help of the United Nations, thousands of people from a remote village were relocated from the desert to a city on the banks of the Yellow River, resulting in most of their local ballads and folk music that had been sung for generations being lost. Ga Song, a young man who had suffered from a stammer since childhood, learned many folk songs as a means of treating this stutter. The treatment failed, but he became deeply passionate about the folk music of his homeland. 
 
For the next seven years, he stayed away from home to make a living as a touring singer. Wandering through hundreds of cities, he became more and more popular and was invited to appear before the nation on the China's Got Talent TV show. However, at a critical moment he decided to quit and return home – only to find that there was nothing left in his homeland. Seeing the rural life and traditions vanished, he struggles to find a way to deal with his angry homesickness, and by singing old folk songs, Ga resists modern China’s breakneck progress that even sacrificed some of his beloved mountains.

King's College London

Our {communityGuidelinesLink} describe the sort of content we prohibit on Eventbrite. If you suspect an event may be in violation, you can report it to us so we can investigate.

To report other categories of prohibited or illegal content, submit {link}

Stammering Ballad

Still looking for the right event?

Explore all events in London and filter by date, category, and more to find the perfect fit.

Stammering Ballad

More Film & Media events

Browse more Film & Media events with different dates, prices, and formats to find your next great experience.

Still looking for the right event?

Explore all events in London and filter by date, category, and more to find the perfect fit.