Three Monks
| Three Monks | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | A Da |
| Written by | Bao Lei |
| Cinematography | You Yong |
Production company | |
Release date |
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Running time | 20 minutes |
| Country | China |
Three Monks (Chinese: 三个和尚; pinyin: Sān gè héshàng), also translated as The Three Buddhist Priests, is a Chinese animated short film produced by the Shanghai Animation Film Studio (SAFS). After the end of the Cultural Revolution in 1976, the film was one of the first animations created as part of the rebirth period. It won the Silver Bear for Best Short Film at the 32nd Berlin International Film Festival.
Plot
A young
Production
SAFS director A Da first came up with the idea for Three Monks in 1978 after overhearing a conversation at a party which involved the ancient Chinese proverb, "One monk will shoulder two buckets of water, two monks will share the load, but add a third and no one will want to fetch water."[1] He was reminded that this phenomenon continued to be prevalent in modern times, and would be an interesting subject for animation. A Da relayed his ideas to screenwriter Bao Lei, who came up with a script with no dialogue, but was humorous and emphasized the character's actions.[2]
The film does not contain any dialogue, allowing it to be watched by any culture, and a different music instrument was used to signify each monk.[3]
Crew
- Director: Xu Jingda (A Da)
- Screenwriter: Bao Lei
- Cinematography: You Yong
- Animation: Han Yu, Ma Kexuan, Fan Madi
Awards
- Won the outstanding film award at China's Ministry of Culture.[2]
- Won the Best animated film prize at the 1st Golden Rooster Awards in 1981.
- Won four international awards including a Silver Bear for Best Short Film at the 32nd Berlin International Film Festival in 1982.[4]
References
- ^ China Org. "China Org." "Three Monks." Retrieved on 2007-01-10. Archived January 22, 2005, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ ISBN 978-1-000-74053-0.
- ^ CCTV. "CCTV." "80 Years of Chinese animation." Retrieved on 2007-01-10.
- ^ "Prizes & Honours 1982". www.berlinale.de. Retrieved 2021-02-18.
