Return – dir. Huayu Yang

Original Film Title: Return

Director’s Name: Huayu Yang

Writer’s Name: Huayu Yang

Producer: Huayu Yang

Country of Origin: China

Country of Filming: China

Language: Chinese

Runtime: 2 hours 51 minutes

Film Description:

Return follows historical threads spanning thousands of years to ask: Where do we come from, and where are we returning? Beginning with the reverence for “Heaven” in ancient Chinese civilization, the film draws on archaeological discoveries and the symbolic imagery associated with Sanxingdui to trace early intuitions and glimpses of the transcendent. It then turns to the lived, historical encounter between China and the Jewish people: from the remnants and oral memories of the Kaifeng Jewish community, to the wartime reality of Shanghai offering refuge to Jewish displaced persons during World War II. The documentary also traces the path by which the Gospel entered China—highlighting the long labor and contributions of missionaries, and the witness and legacy that, at times, came at the cost of life itself—while widening its lens to the destiny of the people of Israel and asking how that destiny intersects with the choices of the nations (including China). Through interviews with scholars and theologians, these strands converge on a single, ultimate proposition: a return to truth, and a return to the God who governs history. As division and trauma persist, Return points toward the possibility of repaired and rebuilt relationships—between humanity and God, and between peoples and peoples.