Among Mountains and Streams

Two exiled artists reflect on art and resistance

Set in a secluded forest in early autumn, Among Mountains and Streams follows painter Meng Huang and writer Ma Jian as they walk, talk and reflect in exile. Surrounded by birdsong, flowing water and fallen leaves, the two artists appear as weary travellers who have left behind a country that no longer allows them to return. Ma Jian, a dissident writer living in London whose books are banned in China, has been unable to go back since 2011. Meng Huang, a renowned painter now based in Berlin, shares a similar condition of displacement.

As they reach a cabin deep in the woods, their conversation turns to persecution, resistance and the treatment of those who defend human rights. The memories of the Tiananmen Square massacre, which profoundly shaped their world view, surface in their dialogue. The forest becomes more than a landscape, it transforms into a space for reflection, dissent and the right to think freely.

Drawing on the director’s own years living in China, the documentary film creates an intimate space of exchange reminiscent of long evenings spent debating art and politics. Through their words, creation emerges as a vital response to oppression and lies, and as a means of preserving dignity in exile.