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Tomorrow is a Long Time film image

Tomorrow Is a Long Time

Míng tian bi zuo tian chang jiu

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North American Premiere

Young Meng is trying to find common ground with his emotionally distant father while coming to terms with the loss of his mother. The father’s inability to connect and provide comfort to his teenage son, coupled with the grueling nature of his job as an exterminator create a chasm between the two. Meanwhile, Meng is targeted by school bullies, forcing him to learn how to fend for himself. A stirring feature debut grounded in the complex father-son dynamic. Split into two distinct parts, the coming-of-age drama charts the boy’s journey from the stifling family home in a Singaporean urban jungle to military service in an actual jungle, where little by little he starts to understand who he is at the core. Wei wields his sharp cinematic gaze through an observational yet emotionally immersive style that captures profound moments of masculine tension and tenderness. The film is carried by the magnetic newcomer Edward Tan, who easily holds his own against the veteran actor-director Leon Dai in this heartbreaking dance of wills.

 

October 4 & 6: Q&A with director Jow Zhi Wei

 

Presented by

Media Partner

Community Partner

Director
Cast

Leon Dai, Edward Tan, Julius Foo, Jay Victor, Lekheraj Sekhar

Credits
Country of Origin

Singapore/Taiwan/France/Portugal

Year

2023

Language

In English and Mandarin with English subtitles

Film Contact
Content Warning

Bullying

18+
105 min
Drama LGBTQIA2S+

Book Tickets

Wednesday October 04

6:15 pm
Guests/Q&As Hearing Assistance Subtitles
The Cinematheque
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Friday October 06

3:15 pm
Guests/Q&As Hearing Assistance Subtitles
Vancity Theatre
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Credits

Executive Producer

Fran Borgia

Producer

Fran Borgia, Jeremy Chua, Stefano Centini, Xavier Rocher, Ico Costa

Screenwriter

Jow Zhi Wei

Cinematography

Russell Morton

Editor

Alexandra Strauss

Production Design

James Page

Original Music

Ting Si Hao

Director

Jow Zhi Wei headshot

Jow Zhi Wei

Jow Zhi Wei attended Le Fresnoy (France) and Lasalle College of the Arts (Singapore). He was accepted in the Golden Horse Film Academy 2010 (Taiwan). He was also awarded the Young Artist Award by the government of Singapore in 2014. He has made three short films, Outing (San Sebastian International Film Festival 2010), Waiting (Busan International Film Festival 2010) and After The Winner (Cannes Film Festival – Cinéfondation Selection 2013).

Vanguard

See more films in this series:

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On the Go

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Questioning her desire to have a child, a mid-thirties woman embarks on a road trip with her best friend, who is working through his own commitment issues. Their journey turns into a whirlwind of roadside drama and unexpected self-discoveries.

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Animal
Animal film image

Animal

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Residents of a Greek island prepare for fellow European tourists seeking the best summer experience their modest earnings can buy, the "animatuers" at the local hotel resort dust off their shiny costumes and dance to keep the masses entertained.

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Octopus Skin

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Three siblings live with an emotionally stunted mother on a remote island off the coast of Ecuador, cocooned and deeply mistrustful of the world outside their bubble. But dark secrets loom, pulling the eldest daughter toward city life.

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The Sea and Its Waves
The Sea and Its Waves film image

The Sea and Its Waves

Art, Music & Photography Drama Women Directors

Like a film poem, The Sea and Its Waves follows a brother and sister as they pass through an almost deserted Beirut on their way out of the country. Bathed in moonlight and flickering city lights, this is atmospheric, transcendental cinema.

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Tomorrow Is a Long Time

Drama LGBTQIA2S+

In this stirring coming-of-age drama grounded in the complex father-son dynamic, 16-year-old Meng is trying to find common ground with his emotionally distant father and military service is on the horizon.

The Cinematheque Vancity Theatre

The Face of the Jellyfish

Art, Music & Photography Comedy Drama Women Directors

Thirty-something Marina wakes up to a completely new face. Cutting herself off from friends and colleagues, she pours through family archives to make sense of the surreal development. With no practical solution in sight, a world of possibility opens up.

The Cinematheque Vancity Theatre

Let Me Go

Drama Romance

This erotically charged drama centers on a mature single woman seeking companionship through intimate encounters with men staying at a remote Swiss mountain chalet. A modern romance featuring an enigmatic, meticulously put-together dame.

The Cinematheque Vancity Theatre