Golden Goblet Awards Asian New Talent｜Unleashing Styles, Seeking Breakthroughs

On the afternoon of June 13th, the nominated films of the Golden Goblet Awards Asian New Talent at the 25th Shanghai International Film Festival held a creators’ meeting. The filmmaker teams of all 12 nominated films attended the event. Just a few days ago, the mature works of several new directors received praise from the jury, who remarked that they “don’t look like novices”. As the nominated films premiered one after another, the films’ reputation spread rapidly.

New Talent Maturing:

Exploring the Spiritual World of the Elderly

MAY, a Shanghainese film produced by Zhou Xun and directed by Luo Dong, focuses on the emotional lives of the elderly. It tells the story of a woman in her seventies who travels half of Shanghai every day in search of love. After watching the film, audiences expressed being “captivated by the woman’s unique charm.” Luo Dong, a native of Shanghai, is also the director of the official promotional film for this year’s SIFF. In MAY, Luo Dong blurs the boundaries between documentary and drama. “I’ve been paying attention to the elderly for a long time. As I grew older myself, my understanding of this generation deepened. So, I decided to shoot a drama about the spiritual lives of this age group.” Luo Dong interviewed retired individuals from various backgrounds such as painters and dancers until he met Yumei, a seventy-year-old woman whose expressive abilities and desire to perform inspired him to capture her story on film.

MAY is Luo Dong’s second production following NEW YORK NEW YORK, which received acclaim for its unique visual style upon its release in 2016. A few days ago, Jo Jo Hui, a judge for this year’s Golden Goblet Awards Asian New Talent, praised the new directors, saying they were “mature and don’t look like novices”. In response to the commendation, Luo Dong humbly acknowledged his own “progress”. He said, “Compared to my first film, I had more space and freedom in shooting this one. From the idea to filming and post-production, the producers and supervisors gave me the greatest amount of freedom, and I can see that I have made some progress.”

While Luo Dong focuses his lens on the spiritual lives of the elderly, the Uzbekistani film “Sunday” also explores the living conditions of the older generation. Director Shokir Kholikov said, “Although films are not bound by race or nationality, there is indeed a generation gap between the elderly and the young. The collision of tradition and reality, and of the young and the elderly, are universal.”

GONE WITH THE BOAT centers on old people with cancer. Director Chen Xiaoyu drew inspiration from her own grandmother. “Although she never received an education, she would contemplate metaphysical questions like ‘What is the world like?’ I wanted to present the spiritual world of the elderly and their attitude towards life.” IN BROAD DAYLIGHT offers a more direct narrative of elderly individuals with disabilities and is based on a true story. From the perspective of a journalist, the film exposes a shocking case of abuse against a disabled person. Director Kan Kwan Chun said, “When we are young, we always think that we will never grow old. But as we witness our own family members, such as our parents, aging, we become keenly aware of that process. I hope that when people grow old, they can still maintain their dignity.”

New Talent Innovation:

Seeking Breakthroughs in Traditional Subjects

The films nominated for Asian New Talent not only showcase mature filmmaking techniques but also bring forth new and unique subjects. “Day Dreaming,” told from the perspective of a child, unleashes the imagination within the mind of a fantasy-driven young boy. Director Wang Zichuan himself embarked on a whimsical journey during the creation. He started with a writing prompt titled “Call of the Times”, and eventually crafted a story around a child earnestly doing exercises to the radio music. It was through this seemingly mundane scene that the story took shape. The 10-year-old actor, Yue Hao, who portrays the primary school kid in the film despite having no prior acting experience, made an appearance at the meeting and left some catchy one-liners. Yue Hao described his collaboration with the director as “an extraordinary design by fate”. He said, “I feel tremendously lucky that the director chose me, and I hope that my childhood experiences could be as colorful as Zhu’s in the film.”

New directors not only demonstrate bold innovation with genres but also seek breakthroughs in traditional subjects. “Love, My Way” is a contemporary romantic film that boldly employs long takes and close-ups to depict the emotional journey and transformation of a hopelessly romantic girl amidst the whirlpool of love. Producer Lu Wei described the film as exceptionally unique, with a female character rarely seen on the screen. Director Liu Bing added a touch of philosophical contemplation, saying, “Through the film, I want to convey the message that when facing love, we not only seek emotional resonance but also reflect upon the questions within ourselves.”

 In the Iranian film CAUSE OF DEATH: UNKNOWN‎, set in an isolated environment, a clever experiment on human nature is devised through an accidental death and an unexpected fortune, akin to a “scripted murder game” in the desert. Director Ali Zarnegar, who has a background in screenwriting, has long been seeking a change in style. He stated, “Through this experiment, I hope to see the audience’s reactions and also to address social issues through a road film and reflect the human nature issue of the society as a whole.”

In modern society, it’s common to have social anxiety. The Japanese film PEOPLE WHO TALK TO PLUSHIES ARE KIND innovatively chooses the theme of “communication.” Director Yurina Kaneko said that she hopes the film could teach people to listen and express themselves.

QASH adopts a distinct visual style, predominantly in black and white with a nearly square aspect ratio. Director Aisultan Seitov views this as a “conceptualized” expression, stating, “Since the film tells a story set during the Kazakh famine, there is an overwhelming sense of despair. I wanted to evoke a depressing feeling throughout.”

“1.5 Horsepower‎” poetically captures the struggles of Iranian women, as director Rasoul Kahani said, “Many countries in the world have their own challenges. I hope the audience can understand the current state of our society, compare it with their own, and have some contemplation.”

New Talent Reflections:

Gratitude to the SIFF and the Masters

Over the years, the SIFF has adhered to its mission of “being rooted in Asia, promoting Chinese-language films, and supporting new talent.” The Golden Goblet Awards Asian New Talent category has been discovering emerging directors, providing them with a platform to start their journey, grow, mature, and ultimately gain recognition from the market and audiences.

Luo Dong, who started out as a cinematographer, is an old friend of the SIFF. Ten years ago, he participated in the SIFF Project with his script for NEW YORK NEW YORK and won an award, thus beginning his directorial career. Returning to the familiar “arena” this time, Luo Dong expressed how meaningful it was to him. He said, “The SIFF is very important to me. At least it has nurtured our generation of filmmakers.” Starting from his teenage years, Luo Dong attended the SIFF every year to watch films. “We can see different films from around the world. The SIFF has taught us what makes a good film and what kind of films we should make,” he said.

MAY is nominated for Best Film and Best Director in the Golden Goblet Awards Asian New Talent of this year’s SIFF. Luo Dong expressed his gratitude to the festival for providing space for young filmmakers’ creation. He said, “Asian New Talent offers us a platform to showcase different film styles and stories. It is the stage for emerging Asian filmmakers to present themselves.” Majid Barzegar, producer of the Iranian film CAUSE OF DEATH: UNKNOWN, said excitedly, “The SIFF has given us hope and encourages us to continue on this path.” The creators of the Laotian film THE SIGNAL said, “For a Laotian film, to be in the Asian New Talent is already beyond our imagination. Whether we win an award or not would be an extra surprise.”

The growth of new filmmakers is inseparable from the support of platforms and the guidance of the masters. IN BROAD DAYLIGHT and TIMES STILL TURNS THE PAGES, both nominated, have renowned director Derek Yee as their executive producer. Directors Kan Kwan Chun and Nick Cheuk expressed that Derek Yee gave them freedom in creation while offering advice. Kan Kwan Chun spent five years in total writing the script for IN BROAD DAYLIGHT, during which he received a lot of assistance from his mentor. He said, “Derek Yee kept offering valuable advice for me. Sometimes our script discussions would go on for ten hours.” In addition to Derek Yee, veteran actors such as Jiang Dawei and Hu Feng who appeared in the film have also been extremely helpful to Kan Kwan Chun. He added, “They are seniors in the film industry who persevere in the pursuit of film art. And they care about my ideas."

When applying for government funding for TIMES STILL TURNS THE PAGES, director Nick Cheuk received earnest support from the judges and directors Yau Nai Hoi and Mabel Cheung. During the filming process, executive producer Derek Yee provided significant support. Nick Cheuk mentioned, “He gave me a great deal of freedom and space for creativity, and also provided valuable advice during editing.” After watching the rough cut, Derek Yee meticulously wrote down suggestions for revision, with detailed notes on how each part should be adjusted and how the footage should flow seamlessly.