The Botanist: EAFFI Discoveries.

Chinese writer-director Jing Yi's contemplative debut feature draws on his own Xinjiang roots and Kazakh heritage in an evocative exploration of memory and place. 

Thirteen-year-old Arsin lives with his grandmother in a remote village near Kazakhstan, where life moves untouched, a world out of time. Arsin helps his older brother herd sheep, but he’s also a budding botanist cataloguing local flora, finding refuge in the vast natural vistas of Xinjiang, and losing himself in the reverie of traditional folk beliefs. He befriends Meiyu, a Han girl whose nature reminds Arsin of a rare, otherworldly plant. 

Exquisitely shot in 4:3 aspect ratio to perfectly represent the boy’s dreamlike state, we are transported by the wonderful music of Iranian pianist and composer Peyman Yazdanian. 

Director Bi Gan (KAILI BLUES; LONG DAY'S JOURNEY INTO NIGHT), Jing Yi’s mentor, praises his striking debut, saying "Yi’s work subtly unfolds the temporal gap between tradition and modernity, the spatial divide between inland and coast, and the dreamlike spiritual space between reality and illusion." 

(Marie-Pierre Richard for EAFFI Discoveries) 

Festival selection/awards: Winner Grand Prix, Generation Kplus, Official Selection, Berlin International Film Festival 2025

“A graceful Chinese coming-of-ager.” The Hollywood Reporter