Beautiful 2012

Shot in separate episodes for the online video portal Youku, "Beautiful 2012" features the pulsing streets of Hong Kong, a pre-op transsexual man and other protagonists in stories by four leading directors exploring concepts of beauty. Renowned Shaanxi-born director Gu Changwei's  "Long Tou" muses on the difficulty of imperceptible expectations in modern life through the subjects of forced demolition and familial piety.  The documentary-style piece includes an appearance by the acclaimed satirist Yan Lianke, posing the question, "Weren't you afraid of death once?"