Written In Dust is a contemporary silent film: a tragedy set in Beijing, with live music accompaniment, a fusion of traditional Chinese and modern British, by classical Chinese musician Ling Peng and pianist/guitarist Andy Middleton.

The film tells the tragic tale of three young Chinese rural migrants who come in search of the new life that modern Beijing promises. The tensions created by the pursuit of money and the repression of love lead to moral corruption, betrayal, lies and the ultimate tragedy.

Ling Peng – Erhu, GuZheng, SanXian and Xun – and Andy Middleton – piano and guitar, with supporting electronica – perform live to powerful and haunting effect, tracing the film’s journey through moods of early optimism, internal struggle, violent threat, tragic melancholy and tenuous hope. They sample their live performance, reworking and looping their melodies and adding improvised layers, as the three migrants find themselves morally lost in the in the dark shadows cast by the city lights.

Shot with a classical cinematic sensibility, the film shows contemporary Beijing as we rarely see it, and tells a tale which resonates universally.  The fusion of traditional Chinese and modern British music with electronic live music performance underlines the themes of tradition and modernity within the film, and offers a powerfully moving experience for the audience.

This is a film and live music event like no other: A cross-cultural collaboration in film and music that can only be experienced live.

4 shows only in London cinemas November 2015

Nov. 1^st, 2.30pm @ Art House Cinema, N8

Nov. 12^th & 14^th, 7.30pm @ The Cinema Museum, SE11

Nov. 22^nd, 3pm @ The Rio Cinema, E8