Aftershock (2010)

Directed by: Feng Xiaogang

Adapted from Aftershock by Zhang Ling

Awards: Nominated for Best Asian Film at Hong Kong Film Awards, selected as the Chinese entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 83rd Academy Awards

A 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit Tangshan in the summer of 1976. Li Yuanni's son and daughter were both caught under a block of cement and were told by the rescue team that she could only save one. In the flash of a moment, Li chooses to save the boy, not knowing that her words were clearly heard by her daughter, Wan Deng. After the quake, Wan Deng was also rescued and raised by her foster parents. Li, on the other hand, lived her life in guilt and dared not to touch any hope of happiness laid in front of her. After 32 years, Wan Deng gathers the courage to return to her hometown in search of her mother, though she still hated her. When the duo finally meets, Wan Deng sees the ways her mother has punished herself deeply from the day of the accident. Knots in Wan Deng's heart were untied and she finally could open her arms to her family members.

Chinese figures in Venice	16 Chinese films with a Cannes Award	Chinese at the Oscars