In "materials" we ask filmmakers to send us images, statements, stories, videos or quotes that were important for creating their work or are a documentation of it.
The film do has its social context and is adapted from a true event that took place in Beijing a few years ago. It is an event that took place in a hotel corridor where a girl was assaulted by strangers. The whole event was captured by the monitor camera:
This video was widely spread in China and then generated a lot of discussion about the bystander effect which is actually nothing new and take place all over the world. Together, the video and the film could be seen as a double bill.
"Seeing is believing, hearing is deceiving". This quote not only refers to the witnesses' reaction to the event taking place down the street, but also hints to - in a way as a metaphor - the audience's perception of image and sound, which are separated in this film.
"Na Li" was made over the course of one night, with a small crew of no more than five, yet there were more than 30 actors involved, all non-professional. While the image was shot entirely in China, all the sound was completely recorded and mixed in postproduction in Chicago, with more than 25 sound tracks.