The Last Year of Darkness (2023)

How can we come to The Hague and not collaborate with the biggest film festival in the city? Movies that Matter wants to broaden views on human rights and focuses on spreading awareness of human rights-related topics through cinema. Together with this inspiring festival, we’re going to screen The Last Year of Darkness.

Funky Town is one of the last free places for Chengdu’s queer youth. The construction of a new subway line means the club will have to close. The Last Year of Darkness captures the profound lives of a group of clubbers, DJs, and performance artists frequenting the beloved club Funky Town. From neon light-colored euphoric dance scenes to deeper and darker moments of loneliness and longing, the documentary gently shows their desire to create a place for themselves. We follow the life of Yihao, a drag performer, who behind fabulous make-up hides deeper concerns about their existence and the place drag and gender play in it. We also meet Kimberley, a brilliant and acclaimed classical Zheng player who struggles with depression and suicidal thoughts.

There’s something explosive, powerful, and melancholic about that time in your early twenties when partying, vomiting, and regretful hookups coincide with profound realizations about the world’s complexity and your place within it. The Last Year of Darkness delves into the deep and revolutionary lives of real people, particularly those whose very existence as queer Chinese individuals is inherently subversive. The joy, the sense of belonging, and the memories are the enduring legacy of Funky Town, now immortalized in this documentary, as the club, sadly, is no more.

The Last Year of Darkness is Ben Mullinkosson’s second feature documentary. The film gathered critical acclaim in prestigious documentary film festivals such as CPH:DOX and IDFA. After witnessing the closing of many queer-friendly clubs and places in Rotterdam in the past year, we found great comfort in discovering The Last Year of Darkness. We are proud to present you with the film with a special programme curated in partnership with N8W8.

“Ben, I don’t think your documentary can record me or anyone’s real life”, says Yihao. “I think life is something you need to feel for yourself.” 

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