Global Lens 2007 is a monthly film series created to promote cross-cultural understanding through the universal language of cinema during a time of great change throughout the world.

Dam Street (Hong Yan)
Directed by Li Yu
In Mandarin and Sichuan with English subtitles
China, 2005, 93 minutes

During a time of rigid moral code in China, Xiao Yun—a sixteen year–old girl living in small riverside town—discovers she is pregnant. The local community is stunned, her family loses face and after her pregnancy is announced to the entire school, she and her boyfriend are expelled; in the aftermath, her boyfriend leaves her, and she gives birth and is then forced to put her child up for adoption. Ten years later, her relationship with her family strained and ostracized by residents of the town, she is reduced to working as a singer in a local song and dance troupe, despite her training as an opera singer. And her only real companion is Xiao Yong, a fiercely affectionate boy who protects her from the critical eyes of the community until a marriage proposal discovers the limits of their friendship, and the depth of her unresolved past.

“Past and present blend here to produce three-dimensional characters. Their souls, minds and actions are masterfully conveyed through beautiful cinematography and outstanding performances. Dam Street is an immensely touching and captivating story of love and marginalisation created with Li’s skilled, caring directorial hand.”
-Giovanna Fulvi, Toronto International Film Festival

 “Lyrical, quietly powerful study of a proud young woman, trapped in a man’s world....Boasting rich, burnished cinematography, arresting imagery, and a stunning central performance from the beautiful Liu Yi (herself a trained opera singer), this is mainland filmmaking at its best: picturesque, emotive and haunting.”
-Edinburgh International Film Festival

2006 Grand Prize, ASIAN FILM FESTIVAL (France)

2005 CICAE Award; Standard Reader’s Jury Prize, VENICE FILM FESTIVAL (Italy)