Anima

Synopsis: After young Tutu kills a bear to save his little brother’s life, he is considered an outcast as bears are sacred to the Lonki tribe. Years later Tutu and Linzi struggle to get by and work as lumberjacks near the forest they grew up in. When they both fall for the same woman, it drives the brothers apart. While Linzi connects more and more with nature and the forest, Tutu chooses another path. Through their story, we experience the deep connection of all living things and witness the mysterious retribution wrought by nature on humans who wound it.

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Director’s Biography: Jinling Cao attended China’s Central Academy of Drama, where she received a doctorate degree with a major in Dramatic Literature, and in 2015/2016 attended the School of Cinematic Arts at the University of Southern California. Her body of screenwriting work includes the screenplays for “Meet Miss Anxiety” (2014), “Crying Out in Love” (2016), and “Seventy-Seven Days” (2017). She wrote the screenplay for “Anima”, which is her directorial debut.