A Thousand Years of Good Prayers

Infobox Film
name = A Thousand Years of Good Prayers


image_size =
caption =
director = Wayne Wang
producer = Yukie Kito
Rich Cowan
Wayne Wang
writer = Yiyun Li
narrator =
starring = Yu Feihong
Henry O
Vida Ghahremani
Pasha Lychnikoff
music = Lesley Barber
cinematography = Patrick Lindenmaier
editing = Deirdre Slevin
distributor = All media worldwide
The Match Factory
released = 2007-09-01
runtime = 83 minutes
country = USA, Japan
language = English, Mandarin, Persian
budget =
gross =
preceded_by = "Princess of Nebraska"
followed_by =
website =
amg_id = 419661
imdb_id = 0838233

A Thousand Years of Good Prayers is a 2007 drama feature film directed by Wayne Wang starring Yu Feihong, Henry O, Vida Ghahremani and Pasha Lychnikoff, adapted from her short story by Yiyun Li and shot on a high-end high-definition video camera. cite press release
title = A Thousand Years of Good Prayers
work = Electronic Press Kit
publisher = The Match Factory GmbH
date = 2007
url =
format = PDF
language =
doi =
accessdate = ]

The film was lauded by critics, such as Kim Voynar at Cinematical as being "meticulously paced and beautifully shot" [cite web
last = Voynar
first = Kim
authorlink =
coauthors =
title = TIFF Review: A Thousand Years of Good Prayers
work =
publisher = cinematical.com
date = 2007-09-12
url = http://www.cinematical.com/2007/09/12/tiff-review-a-thousand-years-of-good-prayers/
format =
doi =
accessdate = 2008-04-22] while Screen International writer Patrick Z. McGavin called it "not earth-shattering or particularly urgent, though it enables a talented filmmaker to work through personal ideas about assimilation and family conflict in an open, smart and gracious way." [cite web
last = McGavin
first = Patrick Z.
authorlink =
coauthors =
title = A Thousand Years of Good Prayers
work =
publisher = screendaily.com
date = 2007-09-18
url = http://www.screendaily.com/ScreenDailyArticle.aspx?intStoryID=34653
format =
doi =
accessdate = 2008-04-22] Todd McCarthy from film industry magazine Variety described the film as "Mainly concerned with generational and cultural issues, very modest entry possesses equally modest commercial potential."cite web
last = McCarthy
first = Todd
authorlink =
coauthors =
title = A Thousand Years of Good Prayers
work =
publisher = variety.com
date = 2007-09-19
url = http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117934785.html?categoryid=31&cs=1&query=a+thousand+years+of+good+prayers
format =
doi =
accessdate = 2008-04-22] "A Thousand Years of Good Prayers" was made as a companion piece to "The Princess of Nebraska", a 2007 film also directed by Wayne Wang and adapted from Yiyun Li’s short story.

It won the Golden Shell Award for Best Film and also Best Actor Award at the 55th San Sebastián International Film Festival. [cite web
last = McGavin
first = Patrick Z.
authorlink =
coauthors =
title = Hong Kong-born director Wayne Wang's "A Thousand Years of Good Prayers" won the best film and best actor awards at San Sebastian
work =
publisher = fest21.com
date = 2007-09-30
url = http://www.fest21.com/blog/sansebastian/hong_kong_born_director_wayne_wang_039_s_quot_a_thousand_years_of_good_prayers_quot_won_the_best_film_and_best
format =
doi =
accessdate = 2008-04-22]

Plot

The film follows Mr. Shi (Henry O), a retired widower from Beijing. When Yilan (Yu Feihong), his only daughter who lives in Spokane, Washington, and works as a librarian has a divorce, he decides to visit her to help her heal. However Yilan is not interested, keeps her distance, finally avoiding her father. It is revealed that she is getting ready to marry once again, with a Russian man (Pasha Lychnikoff). As Mr. Shi explores the small town, he meets an old woman, Madam (Vida Ghahremani), who had fled Iran after the revolution to the United States. Neither Mr. Shi nor Madam speak English well, but by gesturing and talking in their own tongues, they start a friendship which ends when Madam is sent to a retirement home. Eventually, Mr. Shi and Yilan come to terms as father-daughter.

Background/Production

Wayne Wang chose to adapt "A Thousand Years of Good Prayers" into a film because it reminded him of all the Ozu films he so admired when he was a film student. He also has said that he was drawn to the short story by Yiyun Li because of some similarities to his own father. [cite web
last = Stein
first = Ruthe
authorlink =
coauthors =
title = Wayne Wang honored at Asian film festival
work =
publisher = SF Gate
date = 2008-03-15
url = http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/03/15/DDKSVK33N.DTL
format =
doi =
accessdate = 2008-04-22]

When Wang first approached Yiyun Li, who had no previous experiences, to write the screenplay, he provided her with a screenwriting software and "some good scripts." The vague Midwestern setting was determined as Spokane, where Yiyun Li studied.

References

ee also