Asian New Talent Award Contenders Share Insights into Their Creative Journeys

The creators of films shortlisted for the Asian New Talent section at the 28th Shanghai International Film Festival shared insightful perspectives on their films during a press meeting on June 17.

Representing the Jordanian film Boomah, director Zaid Abu Hamdan and producer Ahmad Abu Koush discussed the inspirations behind creating this film, which centers on the lives of marginalized communities.

The narrative follows the life of an orphaned girl positioned at the bottom of a patriarchal society. Fueled by sheer determination and sharp wit, she climbs steadily toward the center of power, all while confronting the lingering wounds of family trauma and grappling with her own identity crisis.

Abu Hamdan revealed that the character originated from his real-life encounters with three women on the streets of Jordan, and their stories left a profound impression on him.

"Each of them carried the scars of a difficult childhood, yet beneath their hardened exteriors, they longed for love, for a home, and for someone to care for them," he said. "Those contradictions—the toughness and the tenderness—are precisely what so many marginalized people share."

Producer Ahmad Abu Koush echoed that sentiment, noting that the film conveys universal emotions and values. She believes that even though future audiences may speak different languages and live in diverse environments, they will still find points of resonance in the film and feel the weight of suffering shared by humanity.

Directed by Ridham Janve, Hunter's Moon, another of the shortlisted films, shifts the focus from the relationship between humans and society to that between man and nature. It follows a hunter who hides his prey in a cave, only to return and find the stash ransacked. 

Set against the backdrop of mountains, a recurring motif in Janve’s work, the director noted that “nature serves as a two-sided mirror for humanity“ in the film. "At times, humans feel they can dominate nature, but at other times, they realize it reflects their most fundamental selves."

Producer Kartikeya Narayan Singh noted the film’s team “held a profound sense of reverence for nature. So, we consistently adhered to the principles of environmentally responsible cinematography." He added that no plastic materials were used, and power was supplied entirely by solar photovoltaic systems throughout the filming process.

The creators of Strangers in the Mountain and Her First Taste, two Chinese films supported by the SIFF Project over the past three years, also attended this meeting.

As a suspense film, Strangers in the Mountain begins with a seven-year-old unsolved case and unfolds a series of emotional entanglements involving various characters.

In the film, director Wan Bo boldly used different dialects for the dialogue between various characters, successfully creating a cast of characters with vivid, distinct personalities.

"Language is inseparable from character, as it is deeply rooted in the process of a character's growth," he said. "The environment and geographical context in which each character grows up endow them with a unique and distinctive charm."

Also, numerous black-and-white scenes are incorporated into the film, evoking the elegant brushwork of traditional Chinese ink painting and imbuing the story with a distinctively Eastern aesthetic resonance.

Gong Yiwen, director of Her First Taste, and producer Qian Yini described their film as a youthful and refreshing campus-themed work.

Employing a documentary-style approach, the movie captures the myriad thoughts and emotions that arise when a girl who is passionate about writing has a chance encounter with a boy, and then experiences confusion trying to find her identity and love.

Director Gong noted that she often asked actors to memorize the script, then requested they set it aside so their performances would feel completely natural. At times, their spontaneous reactions brought her unexpected surprises.

"We devoted significant effort to casting, and the final cast members delivered outstanding performances," said producer Qian. "This film makes me recall the deep emotional connection with my closest friends, and I hope viewers will experience the same."