The Mosuo Sisters
Synopsis
The Mosuo Sisters is a tale of two sisters living in the shadow of two Chinas. Juma and Latso, young women from one of the world’s last remaining matriarchal societies, are thrust into the worldwide economic downturn when they lose their jobs in Beijing. Left with few options, they return home to their remote village in the foothills of the Himalayas. But home is no longer what it was, as growing exposure to the modern world irreparably alters the provocative traditions of the Mosuo. Determined to keep their family out of poverty, one sister sacrifices her dream of an education and stays home to farm, while the other leaves to try her luck in city—changes in fortune that test each sister in unexpected ways. Ultimately, though, it’s the sisters’ relationship with one another that hangs in the balance as they struggle to navigate the vast cultural and economic divides that define contemporary China.
HD/80 min/52 min/In Mandarin and Mosuo with English Subtitles
Trailer
DONATE TO JUMA & LATSO
The village where sisters Juma and Latso live was hit by a strong earthquake this summer. Their house sustained serious structural damage; the whole family is living in tents ever since. Most of the family’s dry goods from harvests (potatoes, rice, barley, etc…) were ruined by a storm that happened at the same time, and their rice harvest this summer was ruined as well. We and the sisters would be grateful for any donations you might be able to share to help them rebuild their house. All donations are processed through a non-profit 501c3 and are tax deductible.
Screenings
Television Broadcast
- PBS: Global Voices
Festivals
- Rural Route Film Festival Tour, Equador
- Kathmandu International Film Festival
- Green Film Festival in Seoul
- Native Vision Film Festival, Sweden
- Rural Route Film Festival Tour, TX
- Rural Route Film Festival Tour, Edmonton Canada
- This Human World Film Festival, Austria
- Rocky Mountain Women’s Film Festival
- Munich Anthropology Film Festival
- Planet in Focus Film Festival
- Terre des Femmes
- Native Spirit Film Festival
- Arica Native Film Festival
- Mumbai International Women’s Film Festival
- Asian Film Series Apex Theaters
- Wine Country Film Festival
- Cambridge Film Festival
- Rual Route Film Festival, Winner: Best Documentary
- DOK.fest Munich
- DOXA Documentary Film Festival Vancouver
- Minneapolis St. Paul International Film Festival
- San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival
- Salem Film Festival
- Big Sky Documentary Film Festival
- Global Visions Film Festival
- Santa Barbara International Film Festival
- Doc NYC
- Zurich Film Festival
Press
Beautifully shot…illuminating…a quietly stunning portrait of modern China, The Boston Globe
Engrossing…excellent…with the firm narrative drive of an old-fashioned novel, Variety
Though about a single family, there’s a Tolstoy-like eye on the larger sociopolitical picture, Edmonton Journal
Captivating…In this fascinating documentary, we experience the impact of rapid changes in China from the dramatic ups and downs of the sisters daily lives, YNOT at the Movies
The Mosuo way of life…is chipped away from afar by the draw of neon-dappled cities, rendered as eloquent, inexorable rivers of headlights by director-cinematographer Marlo Poras, San Francisco Bay Guardian
Fascinating, Huffington Post
Doc NYC: 10 Films You Can’t Miss, Huffington Post
A- , Strongly Recommended, Libertas Film Magazine
Rich and deeply humanistic, Cinespot
The Mosuo Sisters does what good documentaries should: provide insight into the unseen, Rocky Mountain Outlook
5 Major Influences From Marlo Poras, Tribeca Film Institute Blog
Distribution
EDUCATIONAL
Women Make Movies
115 West 29th Street, Suite 1200
New York, NY 10001
(212) 925-0606
www.wmm.com
info@wmm.com
INTERNATIONAL
Louise Rosen, LTD
16 High St
Brunswick, ME 04011
(207) 725-8215
www.louiserosenltd.com
LRosenLtd@aol.com
Credits
- DIRECTOR/PRODUCER/DP/SOUND: Marlo Poras
- PRODUCER: Yu Ying Wu Chou
- EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: David Sutherland
- EDITOR: Amy Foote
- CONSULTING EDITORS: Adam Bolt, Andrew Blackwell
- MUSIC SUPERVISOR: Ben Davis
- ORIGINAL MUSIC: Shawn James Seymour
- ADDITIONAL MUSIC: Jason Poras
- TITLE DESIGN: Marlene McCarty for Ring the Bell
- ADDITIONAL CINEMATOGRAPHY: Al Go
- PRODUCTION PHOTOGRAPHER: Shiho Fukada
- PRODUCTION ASSISTANT: Sunshan Ta
- MAIN TRANSLATOR/ASSISTANT EDITOR: Lillie Zuck
- TRANSLATORS: Aaron Arber, Jung Jung Chang, Yu Ying Wu Chou, Guo Ze Lan, Mei Yu Lee, Cheng Lei, Guo Hong Mei, Michael Minsky, Sunshan Ta, Madeline Wang, Michael Weitzman, Xin Ping Wu, Nima Za Xi, Cindear Zan
- INTERNS: Rachel Wang, Yunyi Wang
- COLORIST/ONLINE: Sandy Patch
- SOUND MIX: Jim Sullivan
Crew Bios
Marlo Poras, PRODUCER/DIRECTOR/DP
See bottom of page.
Yu Ying Wu Chou, PRODUCER
A native of Taiwan, Yu Ying studied media and advertising before transitioning into documentary film editing. She spent five years collaborating in the editing room with David Sutherland on his six hour Frontline series, COUNTRY BOYS, which aired on PBS/Frontline in January 2006. She was a co-editor on HBO’s RUN GRANNY RUN and is currently co-editing David Sutherland’s latest PBS/Frontline series, A KIND HEARTED WOMAN.
Amy Foote, EDITOR
Amy has edited numerous acclaimed documentaries, including: Finishing Heaven (HBO), For Once in My Life (Independent Lens), A Matter of Taste (HBO) and she worked in the editing room on films like FLYING, CONFESSIONS OF A FREE WOMAN (Sundance Channel).
David Sutherland, EXECUTIVE PRODUCER
David Sutherland’s numerous documentaries have won dozens of international awards. He has received widespread praise for his unconventional, innovative style of storytelling. His films include the PBS/Frontline series’ COUNTRY BOYS and THE FARMER’S WIFE, as well as the PBS shows OUT OF SIGHT, HIGH ENERGY, HALFTIME, PAUL CADMUS: Enfant Terrible at 80, JACK LEVINE: Feast of Pure Reason, GEORGE WASHINGTON: The Man Who Wouldn’t Be King, and FEAST OF THE GODS.
Shawn James Seymour, COMPOSER
Shawn James Seymour is the songwriter and composer known as one half of the duo Lullatone, a melody design unit based in Japan. Aside from ten studio albums, they have also made music for videos, films and clients such as VW, Sony, Google+, Target and more.
Shiho Fukada, PRODUCTION PHOTOGRAPHER
Shiho Fukada is a freelance photographer based in Beijing whose work has won many awards. Her photographs are featured regularly in The New York Times and have also appeared in dozens of other publications, including: Newsweek, Time, Fortune, Geo, Stern, Der Spiegel, Le Monde, Figaro, and New York Magazine. She was recently nominated by The New York Times for a Pulitzer Prize for photojournalism.
Al Go, ADDITIONAL CAMERA
Al has been working in Beijing on news, current affairs and documentaries as a cameraman and producer for the BBC since 2003. Having lived and worked in China for over ten years, he has an intimate understanding of the country’s business and cultural practices as well as how to operate within China. The most recent long-form BBC documentary Al shot and produced, WHITE HORSE VILLAGE, garnered an Emmy nomination and a Peabody Award. It was cited by the Peabodys as being, “uncommonly beautiful for a news feature, but no less trenchant for being artful.”
Funding
- ITVS
- CAAM
- LEF Foundation
- Sundance Documentary Fund
- Gucci Tribeca Documentary Fund
- Cinereach
- The Jerome Foundation
- Chicken & Egg
- NYSCA
- Taiwan Documentary Fund