THE DRAGON HEAD TREE
DIRECTED BY JIAQI WANG
UNITED KINGDOM, CHINA // 2020
7 MINS
This film is about a magical creature from the ideal world. It's about how she was caught and eaten, and how she became a symbol for people.
UK Student Award Jury comments:
THE DRAGON HEAD TREE is a beautiful piece of animation that displays both imagination and skill. The film creates a world that is rich in character and pathos. While its use of colour, soundscape, and shape builds a sense of timelessness that stays in the audience’s mind long after viewing. The soundscape is worthy of particular note, it is beautifully crafted and feels thoughtful and innovative.
While the story hooks the audience in from the start and takes them on a powerful journey that resonates. This work displays confidence and talent and we are excited to see what Jiaqi Wang does next. They are definitely an interesting voice and one to watch.
Reflective Encounters
“Linocut tapestries, a special dragon language and exuberant colour create a fantastical world in The Dragon Head Tree, but beneath the beauty lies a dark heart. The last dragon tells us the story of her demise at the hands of a village she thought loved her. This is a captivating 8 minutes of animation - patterns and textures gliding together hypnotically to create a surreal world that draws you into its warmth before unveiling its hidden pain.
This connection between the film’s dreamlike visuals and earthy solemnity is solidified by its moral core - it is a smart indictment of a world that claims to love species while gladly commodifying them for taste and pleasure. Despite its morals, The Dragon Head Tree doesn’t feel preachy or humourless. Rather, it has the feeling of that picture book you had as a child that simultaneously thrilled and frightened you. The film’s beguiling vibe and tangible animation stick in the mind, interrogating the viewer while also lulling us into a strange sense of calm.
Created with much creative style, detail and texture, this is a film to return to and explore the subtleties of each frame.”
— Malaika Kegode
Director's Statement
This film is about a dead dragon, a magical creature. The last dragon was killed by people. It symbolizes the distinction of the dragon species. In the film, dragons do not just look like the long-shape animal, it was also growing from a cell to a birdlike creature and then to the final shape of the dragon.
I will show this kind of transformation at the beginning of the film. The aim is to let people think about other species in the world. We are killing these species and think less about the fact that we are living together for thousands of years.
Filmmaker Bio
Jiaqi Wang is an animator based in Beijing. She graduated from RCA in 2021. The dragon head tree is her graduation film. It was supported by the Passion Pictures.