The Botanist - IFFDAY

Official selection

Family/ChildComing of Age

The first to vanish from thirteen-year-old Arsin’s life was his uncle Yerken, nicknamed Arsin ‘botanist,’ who taught him everything about collecting plants. Then three years ago, on a snowy winter day, he left town. Has he drunk the elixir of life and become part of a tree like the old man from legend? Or has he found a leaf to hide under like a praying mantis? As work in the city, autumn meadows, and the promise of a better future draw away Arsin’s inner circle including his brother, best friend, and first love Meiyu, Arsin grows like the lush leaves of a tree nurtured by brilliant sunlight and shimmering creek water. With this debut film set against the natural beauty and local culture of northern Xinjiang, where he was born and raised, Yi Jing won the Grand Prix of the International Jury for Best Film in the Generation Kplus section at the Berlin Film Festival.

Programme note by CHOI Eun

Stills5

Screenings3

Sat, 09/20

16:0017:36

LOTTE CINEMA Centum City 2

202KE, Korean subtitles + English subtitles or English dialogue

Mon, 09/22

12:3014:06

LOTTE CINEMA Centum City 7

384KE, Korean subtitles + English subtitles or English dialogue

Wed, 09/24

17:0018:36

LOTTE CINEMA Centum City 9

538KE, Korean subtitles + English subtitles or English dialogue

Film details

Director: YI Jing
Original title: 植物学家
Country/Region: China
Year: 2025
Length: 96min
Section: A Window on Asian Cinema
Edition: Busan International Film Festival 2025, No. 30
Original language: Chinese
Format: DCP, Color
Selection: Official selection
Elsewhere: Festival page Letterboxd IMDb Wikidata TMDB Douban

Director

YI Jing

Credits

Director: YI Jing
Producer: Zuolong SHAN, Qi AI
Cast: Yesl JAHSELEH, Ren ZIHAN
Cinematography: Li VANON
Production design: Xu YAO
Editing: Liu YAONAN
Music: Peyman YAZDANIAN
Production company: MONOLOGUE (SHANGHAI) FILMS CO., LTD., SICHUAN 28ST FILMS CO., LTD., POLY FILM INVESTMENT CO., LTD.
World sales: MAGNIFY