A First Farewell (2020)

A First Farewell 2020 / 第一次的离别 2020 / 第一次告别

The film is a heart-melting story focusing on Isa (Isa Yasan), an elementary school boy from a family of goat herders in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region who leads a carefree life but must say a number of sudden good-byes, including to his beloved deaf mother who his father has decided to send to a care facility and his good friend Kalbinur (Kalbinur Rahmati) who is getting bad grades and is about to be sent to a faraway school. Growing up amongst the beautiful natural environment in Xinjiang, Isa's childhood is like that of many other people in the region, including the film's director Wang Lina. When returning to her hometown, the bewitching scenery in Xinjiang sparked Wang's memories of her childhood: endless orchards, cotton fields and the Gobi desert, mysterious mirages after a rain storm, a young man holding a falcon and the time she had to bid her own farewell to her childhood playmates as she left to pursue higher education. (Source: globaltimes.cn)