Of A Sleepless Town is a two-part documentary following three of Shanghai’s leading creatives - Architect, Wuyahuang Li, Photographer, Shuwei Liu, and Electronic Music Producer, Han Han (Gooooose).

Part One presents a portrait of a place, one symbolic of China’s embrace of globalization in the late 20th century, the film’s subjects breakdown the psychological and social impact of Shanghai’s urban form. The conversation turns to self-identity as they explore their own experiences of masculinity and self-identity as men, living and creating in an ever-changing physical and spiritual landscape.

In Part Two, the conversation turns to self-identity as they explore their own experiences of masculinity and self-identity as men, living and creating in an ever-changing physical and spiritual landscape.

Acoompanying interviews with the film’s subjects, a series of portraits and street photographs capture the mosaic of urban moments. The city’s surface identity as the financial centre of China, a landscape dominated by skyscrapers, a sea of concrete towers rising beside the waterfront, is contrasted with images depicting a vibrant and diverse Shanghai of old streets and rich gardens.

Moments of calm and reflection set amongst the fast pace of modern city life.

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