The Last Year of Darkness: Scottish Premiere

Are you excited about Saturday night?

Do you know what happens in the Funky Town of Chengdu in the dark?

Join us for the special screening of ‘The Last Year of Darkness’ and let's escape from the real world!

Mint Chinese Film Festival (MINT CFF) in partnership with MUBI presents the COOLer's Escape: Scottish Premiere of ‘The Last Year of Darkness’.

This event features COOLer's Escape as the pronunciation of 'Cooler' echos the Chinese pronunciation of 'Queer' （酷儿: kù ér). Embracing the colourful and diverse queer culture thriving in Glasgow, MINT CFF celebrates the Chinese underground queer scene through screening this award-winning documentary.

Special thanks to producer SOL Ye, film curators Yixiang Lin and Wenqi Zhang, and the staff of MUBI and CCA who facilitated the screening.

This screening will be followed by a Q&A session, offering an opportunity for wider discussion with the audience.

MINT CFF will welcome the audience by offering complimentary gifts, including T-shirts, fans, and fortune cookies all themed around THE LAST YEAR OF DARKNESS, as well as tattoo stickers. Arrive a tad early with your companions to pick up your preferred gifts before the screening starts at 7 pm. First-come-first-served!

The Last Year of Darkness

Directed by BEN MULLINKOSSON

China, United States, 2023

Language(s): Chinese, English with English subtitles

Duration: 95 minutes

Synopsis:

As the city of Chengdu changes, the future of beloved club Funky Town is unclear. For a vibrant group of DJs, drag performers, lovers, ravers, and skaters this is a sanctuary for underground partying and allows them to thrive after the sun sets. It’s the one place that accepts them for who they really are, whilst they run away from their problems during the day.

With construction cranes looming from an encroaching metro station, the friends are forced to face what brought them to the party in the first place and make the most of their remaining time there.

The Last Year of Darkness is a coming-of-age film that celebrates the ephemerality of youth—from love to loss, from throwing up to growing up.

Awards & Festivals:

2023 The Last Year of Darkness (CPH:DOX Next:Wave Competition)

2023 Athens International Film Festival: Golden Athena - Best Documentary

2023 International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam

MINT Chinese Film Festival (MINT CFF) is the first women-organised Chinese film festival in the UK. Founded by Chinese film curator Yixiang Shirley Lin and Keswick Alhambra Cinema’s co-owner Dr Carol Rennie.

MINT CFF not only holds an annual Chinese film festival at the Keswick Alhambra Cinema, but also curates and organises Chinese film screenings and relevant cultural and artistic events in various venues across the UK and other regions worldwide.

For further information on MINT CFF’s previous editions, please visit their official website.

MINT CFF will launch the MINT ON TOUR project in partnership with Aya films across Scotland this September to showcase their exciting festival programmes and film selections from the 2024 edition. Please stay tuned for this project via their socials.