Bathhouse Drummer

Language：Mandarin, Japanese with English Subtitles

澡堂鼓手

UK Premiere

Synopsis When Japanese drummer Shota comes to Beijing for a performance, he finds himself lacking inspiration. He hears a thumping back massage being given nearby, and spontaneously wanders into a one-hundred-year-old building to find the source of the sound: it’s Fushun, the bathhouse master. Can this unique rhythm plant the seeds of inspiration for Shota’s next performance?

Director’s Statement With Bathhouse Drummer, I wanted to make an artistic film with commercial attributes. The plot of the Beijing grandpa’s back massage expands out to an exploration of bathhouse culture as a whole - its resonance with Beijing’s contemporary underclass and the way it allows characters from wildly different backgrounds to meet. For me, the rhythm of the drum becomes a gateway for their emotional expression.

Festivals&Awards

European Independent Film Festival Nominee & Best Editing

Milan International Filmmaker Festival Nominee

Macau International Movie Festival - Best Short Film, Best Director