An experimental documentary about the Longgang 'Haunted House' in Shenzhen. Exploring the urban legends around the building, it shows the tensions of a private architectural practice and the flow of culture between Shenzhen and Hong Kong through changing times. The building stands on the edge of Shenzhen: a private house that a Hong Kong businessman began building in the 1970s. Among low houses and tiled roofs its out-of-proportion scale and form look strikingly out of place. Long sealed off, it became a well-known local legend, called 'the madman's maze', 'the haunted house', 'the mistress's residence', 'the feng shui longevity tower' and 'the war shelter'. The owner's wartime trauma and his years as a seaman deeply shaped what he built. This doomsday fortress had no blueprint: the owner led a building crew for some twenty years to finish it. From the facade to the furniture everything is cast in concrete, and the maze-like, almost windowless interior is something between a ship's cabin and a fortification. (One of the ten funded projects of the 2025 Shanhai Project)
Translated from English by IFFDAY, not yet reviewed.
Screenings1
Fri, 02/20
19:3022:30
Former Shantou Film Company, 2F Mini Screening Room
