In the latest episode of the Reel Mental Podcast I discuss the film "The Sun Rises On Us All" with writer-director Cai Shangjun and screenwriter Han Nianjin at The Toronto International Film Festival®. With special thanks to our interpreter Erika Li.

CAI SHANGJUN | DIRECTOR

Director, screenwriter and producer, Cai Shangjun graduated from China Central Academy of Drama in 1992. Cai’s screenplays include Spicy Love Soup (1997), Shower (1999) and Sunflower (2005). He wrote and directed The Red Awn (2007), People Mountain People Sea (2011) and The Conformist (2017). The Red Awn won the FIPRESCI Prize at the 12th Busan International Film Festival, the Golden Alexander Award for Best Film at the 48th Thessaloniki International Film Festival and the Jury Grand Prize at the 2nd Asia Pacific Screen Award. People Mountain People Sea won the Silver Lion Award for Best Director at the 68th Venice International Film Festival, the Silver Montgolfiere D’Argent Award at the Nantes Three Continents Festival, the Critics Prize at the Black Movie Film Festival, and the Grand Prix Award at the 10th Pacific Meridian International Film Festival of Asia Pacific Countries. The Conformist won Best Actor Award at the 20th Shanghai International Film Festival and was screened in competition at TOKYO FILMex and as a Special Screening at the 42nd Toronto International Film Festival.

HAN NIANJIN | SCREENWRITER

Han Nianjin graduated from the University of Munich and is a freelance writer and cinematographer. The Sun Rises on Us All is her first screenplay.

Matteo Salvatore is a Toronto-based film critic and writer. What began as a casual writing hobby has evolved into a dedicated passion for film analysis and criticism, spanning more than four years across multiple platforms. Through a mix of thoughtful written essays and engaging video content, Matteo has steadily grown his online following and presence in the film community.

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Brian Eggert is a national award-winning film critic and scholar. He is Tomatometer-Approved and belongs to several critical and scholarly associations, including: the Society For Cinema and Media Studies, Minnesota Film Critics Association, Online Film & Television Association, International Film Society Critics, National Coalition of Independent Scholars, and the Large Association of Movie Blogs. Additionally, Brian is a member of the Independent Film Critics of America, who honored him with the 2024 Critic of the Year award. Brian lives in Minnesota with his wife and their dog. He is an occasional programmer and regularly appears on the NBC affiliate in the Twin Cities, KARE 11, to review and talk about movies. He also co-hosts the KARE 11+ show, The CineFiles.

Learn more about Brian Eggert:

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