A Chinese mountain village in the clutches of progress
Gulu, a small village in the Chinese province of Sichuan, is hidden in the picturesque green of steep cliffs. The Yi people live there and still manage without electricity and running water. The village has barely 60 households and only one school, where teacher Shen teaches. When the young city academic Bao recognises a "little utopia" in Gulu, he settles there and supports Shen as a volunteer. Enthused by the purist way of life, Bao carries the news of Gulu's uniqueness to the world. Thanks to his efficiency, soon not only water and real electricity are flowing, but also torrents of donations. Even superstar Jackie Chan wants to invest a whopping 100,000 yen in the construction of the school! The village becomes a tourist attraction: teacher Shen suddenly achieves fame and his school is renamed "The School on the Rim of the Sky". With the emerging wealth, however, Shen and Bao increasingly wrestle for administrative power and nasty rumours begin to circulate. Resentment and discord rise in the former idyll...
Tradition vs. modernity: In her adventurous documentary "On the Rim of the Sky", director Xu Hongjie tells of progress making its way into a Chinese mountain village isolated from the world. Her beautifully photographed directorial debut celebrated its world premiere at the Locarno Film Festival in the renowned "Semaine de la Critique" and went on to enthuse audiences at numerous other festivals. 
Festivals / film awards
- 2015: Anthropological Film Festival, Jerusalem, IL, Official Selection
- 2015: Bangkok International Film Festival, TH, Official Selection
- 2015: Cork International Film Festival, IE
- 2015: DMZ International Documentary Film Festival, KO
- 2015: DOC NYC, USA , Official Selection
- 2015: Hot Docs, Toronto, CA , Official Selection
- 2015: Open City Documentary Festival, UK, Emerging International Filmmaker Award
- 2015: Sydney Film Festival, AU, Official Selection
- 2015: Taipeh Golden Horse Film Festival, TW
- 2014: Locarno Film Festival, CH, Official Selection
Production funding
