(93 min; 2007; English/Mandarin with English subtitles)
Director: Yung Chang

Multiple award winner including Cinema Eye Audience Choice Prize & Cinema Eye Honors Award, Cinema Eye Honors Awards, USA 2009; Genie Award for Best Documentary, Genie Awards 2009; Golden Horse Award for Best Documentary, Golden Horse Film Festival 2008; Golden Gate Award for Documentary Feature, San Francisco International Film Festival 2008; among others

Yung Chang is a Canadian director whose grandparents came from China, and his witty, lovely and profoundly unsettling documentary Up the Yangtze takes him back to the legendary river of his grandfather's homeland, now transformed beyond recognition. Set on a riverboat cruise, the film follows 16-year-old Cindy, who comes from a poor family living on the banks of the river, and Jerry, who is from a more prosperous family. Cindy’s story contrast her simple village life with the lives of fellow travellers who live in a consumer economy and have been exposed to new technology. Jerry meanwhile tries to earn money for himself and his family by working as a porter and singer.