Driven by the firm belief that the footnotes of history should not be overlooked or dismissed, filmmaker Xiang Fu is determined to capture the voices that need to be heard – those at risk of being forgotten as they slowly fade away amidst the noise of the modern world. Haunted by the lingering shadows of the COVID-19 pandemic, The Footnote reflects on the past, listens to the present and questions the future: ‘Will the world ever be the same again?’. With an empathetic gaze and a collaborative spirit, this partially performative documentary brilliantly captures the surreal atmosphere of the pandemic and the individual lives that were caught up in this global shock.