Journey to the Western Xia Empire

Screenwriter Lu Wei turned director with this $1 million production shot in four months at the Gansu Province. During the 11th Century, nomadic horsemen raid a village, kidnapping 10 male babies for their emperor. Villager Ya (Badenma), on foot with her newborn baby, follows the horsemen, led by the inarticulate Ye (Ni Dahong), as they make the return journey. The procession zigzags to confuse hostile Khitans and Han Chinese, and Ya slowly wins over and finds acceptance by the earthy, brutish bunch. Shown at the 1997 Locarno Film Festival.