About the film
A Tale of the Wind is a 1988 documentary film directed by Joris Ivens and Marceline Loridan-Ivens. It follows Ivens as he travels in China and attempts to capture winds on film while reflecting on his life and career. The film combines documentary footage with fictional elements, including dream sequences and Peking opera.
Ivens appears in the film, which was his last. Also known as A Wind Story, it runs 80 minutes and uses French and Mandarin. Its listed countries are the Netherlands, France, the United Kingdom and Germany, with Capi Films as production company and Marin Karmitz as producer.
The film received the European Film Academy Special Jury Award. DocumentaryTube lists its year as 1988 and its subject as Joris Ivens.
Who it is for
It suits viewers interested in Joris Ivens, travel in China and documentaries that combine real footage with fictional or dreamlike scenes. Students of documentary form may also find its mixed approach useful.
Worth knowing
- Follows Ivens in China
- Combines documentary and fictional elements
- Includes Peking opera
- Uses French and Mandarin
- European Film Academy Special Jury Award
Before you press play
- Includes fictional dream sequences
- 80-minute runtime
- Released in 1988
- Ivens’s final film
The short of it
A Tale of the Wind is a reflective portrait of Joris Ivens that moves between travel, filmmaking and memory. Its blend of documentary footage, dreams and Peking opera gives the film a mixed form.
What it is about
Awards on record
- European Film Academy Special Jury Award