Xun an

Filmed over three years in China and the U.S., "Maineland" is a multi-layered coming-of-age tale that follows two teenagers of China's wealthy elite as they settle into a boarding school in blue-collar rural Maine. Part of the enormous wave of "parachute students" enrolling in U.S. private schools, bubbly, fun-loving Stella and introspective Harry come seeking a Western-style education, escape from the dreaded Chinese college entrance exam, and the promise of a Hollywood-style U.S. high school experience. But as their fuzzy visions of the American dream slowly gain more clarity, worlds collide as their relationship to home and country takes on a surprisingly poignant new aspect. (South by Southwest Film Festival)