Les Porteurs d'ombres electriques

In the Netherlands, the phenomenon of the travelling cinema disappeared in the twenties. Up until that time, film operators had been active who rambled from one carnival to the next to screen their pictures. But even as far back as then they were exceptions, because the vast majority of operators had already settled down in fixed cinemas for ten odd years. In China, the situation is different. The travelling projectionist has not died out yet. Les porteurs d'ombres electriques follows two men and a women, who traverse the vast province of Sichuan, heavily packed with equipment and films. Wherever they can add lustre to parties they organise open-air screenings. It will not last for much longer, because also in China television has penetrated into the smallest hamlets, removing much of the charm of the screenings for the rural population. (International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam)