Beijing 2003
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| Beijing 2003 | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Ai Weiwei |
| Produced by | Ai Weiwei |
Release date |
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Running time | 9,000 minutes |
| Country | China |
Beijing 2003 is an experimental documentary film by Chinese contemporary artist and filmmaker Ai Weiwei. The film consists of continuous street-level footage recorded throughout Beijing and is notable for its extreme duration and conceptual approach to urban documentation. At 9,000 minutes (150 hours), it is one of the longest films of all time.[1][2][3]
The film contains no conventional narrative, dialogue, or soundtrack. It consists solely of long, uninterrupted shots of Beijing’s streets, buildings, traffic, and pedestrians as observed from the moving vehicle. The work aligns with traditions of structural film, and durational cinema, emphasizing time, repetition, and observation over storytelling.[4]
Production
Beijing 2003 was filmed over a period of approximately sixteen days beginning in October 2003. Using a camera mounted inside a moving vehicle, the project recorded every street within Beijing’s Fourth Ring Road.[5] The resulting footage totals more than 150 hours, presenting an unedited traversal of the city’s road network.[6]
The project was conceived during a period of rapid urban transformation in Beijing and reflects Ai Weiwei’s interest in surveillance, infrastructure, and the everyday experience of contemporary Chinese cities.[7]