World Premiere
Fatherland
Short film Competition 2
Year of Production 2025
Production Countries/Regions China
Duration 14 mins
Genres Drama Absurdist Allegory
Dialogue Language(s) Mandarin Chinese dialects
Subtitle Language(s) Chinese
Director(s) Skylar X
Director’s Bio
Skylar is a writer-director currently pursuing an MFA in Film Directing at Columbia University. She holds a BFA in Dramaturgy from the Central Academy of Drama (China). Her short films have screened at international film festivals, including Pingyao International Film Festival and Internationale Kurzfilmfestival Berlin, and have been recognized by festivals affiliated with the Méliès International Festivals Federation. Her recent project was selected for the 2025 Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Mentorship Program at Columbia University.
Synopsis
In a post-pandemic world, Youcai is the last guard of an abandoned waterpark, obsessively carrying out patrols that no longer matter. He punishes rule-breakers and stages a hollow ceremony of self-recognition. As hallucinations surface, the remnants of authority and order reveal their cruelty and hypocrisy, shattering the beliefs that once sustained him. Under the merciless noon sun, Youcai breaks away from the waterpark, drifting toward the fragile line between collapse and awakening.
Festivals & Awards
2026 4th MINT Chinese Film Festival 2026 - Shorts Competiton - World Premiere
Scriptwriter(s)
Skylar X
Producer(s)
Skylar X
Executive Producer(s)
Key Casts
Zeus G
Curators’ note
Director’s Statement
During the extraordinary period of the pandemic, I became interested in ordinary individuals who were suddenly assigned heightened responsibilities and identities within an abnormal social structure. As these roles abruptly expanded their sense of purpose, the sudden end of the pandemic swiftly erased them, leaving behind a profound sense of loss and disorientation. This film approaches such figures from a level gaze, entering their inner worlds through a narrator who may not be entirely reliable. By doing so, I hope to explore the psychological impact of extreme circumstances and to portray the quiet, complex humanity of those often overlooked.
