12 Moments Before the Flag-Raising Ceremony

The 78th Festival du Cannes –– La Cinef, Second Prize

The short film 12 Moments Before the Flag-Raising Ceremony by QU Zhizheng employs a cold, minimal, and restrained visual language to unravel a portrait of middle school student Feng Xiao’s inner world, captured through twelve particular moments before the flag-raising ceremony.

The ceremony is not only a reenactment of social order but also a space where individual identity and collective memory are constructed. As a ‘ritual apparatus,’ the flag raiser embodies collective will while revealing the vulnerability and tension inherent in an individual under scrutiny. Through a highly mature and precise cinematic language, the director deftly captures nuanced emotional undercurrents, crafting an introspective space that explores themes of obedience and self-awareness.

This work combines aesthetic texture with depth of thought, offering a powerful inquiry into how institutions shape the individual.

– LIU Zhou’anqi