Valentina Ippolito: The Last Warriors. Documentary film.

 

Filmmaker Valentina Ippolito in China filming on location, 2016.

 

 The Last Warriors

Year: 2016
Duration: 11' 32"

Set in the thickly forested mountains of Guizhou Province among the wooden houses of the Miao people of Basha village, The Last Chinese Warriors is an episodic short film exploring the gendering of Miao warrior culture throughout the circle of life, as seen through the outsider lens of a female European filmmaker. The film represents Miao men as caregivers and pillars of strength in their society. Beginning with the end of life, the film deconstructs the male Miao journey into five distinct phases: death, senescence, adulthood, youth, and birth. Drawing on symbols representing aspects of these five life stages, including trees, shotguns, the topknots on the men’s heads, and the shaving ceremony, the film progressively reveals Basha’s cultural traditions and male roles in the village and at home.

Storyline

Set in the thickly forested mountains of Guizhou Province among the wooden houses of the Miao people of Basha village, The Last Chinese Warriors is an episodic short film exploring the gendering of Miao warrior culture throughout the circle of life, as seen through the outsider lens of a female European filmmaker.


PictureThe author
 
Valentina Ippolito is an award-winning Documentarian, higher education lecturer and University College London alumna, with a Master’s Degree in Documentary by Practice. Editing and camera skills consolidated through 11 years of University sponsored projects and corporate work. Valentina's main area of interest is the representation of social identities and minorities. Her documentary work discusses the representation of otherness including, gender roles; men as warriors in Basha Miao Village (China); women and babies behind bars; women’s self-representation of sexuality; and the migrant identity. Her films have been screened at international Film events including Brazil, China, Croazia, Holland, India, Italy, Mexico, Poland, Slovenia, the UK and the United States. Valentina's doctoral research at Oxford University focuses on the representation of Romanian migrants in contemporary Italian and Romanian cinema.
 

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