Omelga, who has just arrived in China, wonders who the Chinese see the Africans, saying explicitly at the beginning of her documentary that in South Africa they only seem interested in trade. She chooses a privileged point of view, Lia's hairdressing salon. This Chinese woman of about forty, full of energy and spirit, has moved to Songzhuang and opened her salon there because she would really like to be a painter and that is the city of artists. What will Lia do with Omelga's African hair? And does the director like Lia's extensions? These questions lead to an entertaining and deep relationship which lets Omelga enter Lia's life. When the hairdresser turns to a master calligrapher for some advice, the answer does not make her happy, but it will perhaps spur her on to improve her art.


Without knowing much about China and its people, Omelga arrived in China with a little reservation and hesitation. Needing to engage with the local people in order to make a film, in a blazing hot summer in Beijing, she scratched her head and thought that she needed to go to a hair salon. That was where she met Li-Xia, a hairdresser and an aspiring artist, whose double life interested her. But was Li-Xia a real McCoy?

LI XIA'S SALON
South Africa, China 2011, Mandarin and Zulu with English subtitles, DigiBeta, 26 min, Short Doc

Director: Omelga Mthiyane

Direction: Omelga Mthiyane
Screenplay: Omelga Mthiyane
Camera: Omelga Mthiyane, Tao Mong
Editing: Riaan Hendricks
Sound: Omelga Mthiyane
Format: Video
Time: 22 min.
Original Version: Mandarino
Production: Omelga Mthiyane


Reversing the Chinese gaze on Africa, the International Film Festival Rotterdam commissioned a series of short films which saw African directors turn their lens on China.


2011 | 32nd Durban International Film Festival
* Raiding Africa Selection
Showtimes: 24 JULY 1:00pm ROYAL
Also screening 25 July 6:00 PM EKHAYA

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ITALIANO
Omelga, appena arrivata in Cina, si chiede come i cinesi vedano gli africani, dicendo esplicitamente, all'inizio del suo documentario, che in Sudafrica sembrano interessati solo al commercio. Sceglie così un punto di osservazione privilegiato, il salone di parrucchiere di Lia. La donna, una cinese quarantenne piena di energia e spirito, si è trasferita a Songzhuang e ha aperto lì il suo negozio perchè in realtà vorrebbe fare la pittrice e quella è la città degli artisti. Cosa farà Lia con i capelli africani di Omelga? E alla regista piaceranno le extension di Lia? Da queste domande nasce un rapporto divertito e profondo, che permette a Omelga di entrare nella vita di Lia. Quando la parrucchiera si rivolge a un maestro calligrafo per alcuni consigli, il responso non la rende felice, ma sarà forse uno stimolo per fare crescere la sua arte.

2011 - Milan, Edizione: 21°



Sudafrica / Cina - 2011

Regia: Omelga Mthiyane
Sceneggiatura: Omelga Mthiyane
Fotografia: Omelga Mthiyane, Tao Mong
Montaggio: Riaan Hendricks
Suono: Omelga Mthiyane
Formato: Video
Durata: 22 min.
Versione originale: Mandarino
Produzione: Omelga Mthiyane

Distribuzione
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omelgam@hotmail.com