Stolen Life
Sheng Si Jie
Directed by Li Shaohong
China, 2005
Chinese with English subtitles
90 minutes
Color
35mm
Yanni, a young woman raised by emotionally distant relatives in Beijing unexpectedly gets accepted to college. Filled with aspirations and visions of independence, she promptly packs her suitcase to move to the dorms. As she heads to the univerisity, she crashes into a new life of love, deception, and adult choices. Filmmaker Li Shaohong follows Yanni into Beijing’s gritty underworld, chronicling Yanni’s determination to confront her treacherous love and her ultimate goal to survive.
Stolen Life was featured at the Tribeca Film Festival where Robert De Niro presented filmmaker Li Shaohong with the Founders Award for Best Narrative Feature.
Stolen Life is part of the Global Film Initiative’s Global Lens series, which includes eight feature films and a collection of five short films from developing-world countries.
Stolen Life was selected by an advisory committee consisting of high school educators, a high school student, and representatives from UW-Madison's Language Institute and Arts Institute.
Frequently Asked Questions
Download the Stolen Life study guide (PDF)
About the Filmmaker
Li Shaohong was born in Suzhou, Jiangsu Province,
China, in 1955. As a teenager she served in the military,
working in a hospital during the Cultural Revolution. She
graduated from the Beijing Film Academy and is regarded
as a member of the “fifth generation” of filmmakers in
China. As one of the most innovative and best-known
contemporary women in this generation, Li teamed up with
cinematographer Zeng Nianping and producer Li Xiaowan
to found Beijing Rosat Film & TV Production Company.
Her feature films include Bloody Morning (1990), FamilyPortrait (1992), Blush (1994), The Red Suit (2000), and Baober in Love (2004).
--Global Film Initiative
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