International premiere

The Watchman

Local title
Vahimees
Original title
Le Veilleur
Director
Lou du Pontavice, Victoire Bonin
Country
France, Belgium
Year
2024
Festival
28th Black Nights Film Festival
Programme
Doc@PÖFF Competition
Genre
drama, family film, psychological drama, film noir, biographical, social drama
Subject
familial relationships, art, love, music, belonging, child-parent relationships, motherhood, fatherhood, adventures, education, loneliness

The cracks start to appear when a Chinese couple’s only son leaves to study in Estonia.

Watchman Guangdong and his wife Baoyan have devoted their lives to their only son, Zhaohang. When he leaves China to pursue a music career at the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre, the couple must confront the emotional void his absence creates. Through phone calls, they try to guide Zhaohang from afar, but his journey is shaped by both his deep desire to please his beloved father and his own personal ambition.

This universal experience of parents watching their children grow and leave home resonates deeply, capturing the struggle between holding on and letting go. With breathtaking cinematography and a poignant score, this documentary offers an intimate look at cultural adaptation, familial sacrifice, and the evolving dynamics of a father-son bond in the face of separation and change.

Mike Arnott

Director
Lou du Pontavice, Victoire Bonin
Screenwriter
Lou du Pontavice, Victoire Bonin
Producer
Lucie Rego, Pauline Tran Van Lieu, Joël Curtz
Cinematographer
Victoire Bonin
Music
Camille El Bacha
World sales
CAT&Docs
Runtime
Language
Chinese
Subtitles
English
Director
Lou du Pontavice

Lou du Pontavice (1992) was born in Paris. After a year-long course in literature and a degree with two majors, philosophy and cinema (Sorbonne), she joined the INSAS film directing course in 2014 where she made both documentaries and fiction films. Most of them have one thing in common: they begin with preparatory documentary work using real characters. The fictional part – be it significant or incidental in the final film – gives her a certain freedom in the aesthetics and scenario for telling the story.

The Watchmen (2024, doc)

Director
Victoire Bonin

Victoire Bonin studied art history in Paris. After that she joined INSAS film school in Brussels. Following graduation, she made short documentary films and became a cinematographer. “The Watchmen” – co-directed with Lou du Pontavice – is her first feature-length documentary as a director. It was shot in China and Estonia.

The Watchmen (2024, doc)

Screenings

7th Hall Apollo Kino Coca-Cola Plaza
Screening050704 / Vahimees
SubtitlesEnglish
Q&A guestsLou du Pontavice (Director, Screenwriter), Victoire Bonin (Director, Screenwriter, Cinematographer)
Q&A duration
Screening duration
7th Hall Apollo Kino Coca-Cola Plaza
Screening110703 / Vahimees
SubtitlesEnglish
Q&A guestsLou du Pontavice (Director, Screenwriter), Victoire Bonin (Director, Screenwriter, Cinematographer)
Q&A duration
Screening duration
Hall Electric Cinema, Tartu
Screening114101 / Vahimees
SubtitlesEnglish
Screening duration
Trailer
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