Based on a short story from Hu Bo’s novel Huge Crack (2017), An Elephant Sitting Still is set in a small town in Northern China and tells the story of four characters (two high school students, a gangster, and a grandfather), who escape to a zoo in Manzhouli to see an elephant. Featuring a combination of long takes and bleak visuals, the film evokes Béla Tarr’s film style, while sharing many similarities with Jia Zhangke’s films for its unvarnished depiction of alienated youth in Chinese society. Through his mastery of atmosphere, imagery, and rhythm over a lengthy four-hour runtime, Hu takes the viewer on a melancholic yet moving journey that demonstrates the young filmmaker’s outstanding talent. Hu died by suicide at the age of 29, making this masterpiece his first and only film.

Hu Bo (1988-2017, Shandong) was a novelist, director, and screenwriter. In 2014, after graduating from the Beijing Film Academy with a degree in film directing, he started to write novels under the pen name Hu Qian. On 12 October 2017, he died by suicide at the age of 29. In 2018, his first and only film An Elephant Sitting Still won the FIPRESCI Prize at the Berlin Film Festival, as well as Best Narrative Feature and Best Adapted Screenplay at the Golden Horse Awards.