Greet-and-Meet with Jury for Golden Goblet Award | "Discussion" Is the Highlight of SIFF, and "Touching" Is the Key Quality of a Good Story

This morning, the meet-and-greet with the jury for the Golden Goblet Award of the 24th Shanghai International Film Festival (SIFF) was held in Shanghai. Juries for main competition, documentary, animation, and short film of the Golden Goblet Awards appeared at the event. Speaking of the jury work, the Jury President for main competition , Huang Jianxin, said bluntly that only through repeated discussions can we select works that are recognized by everyone.

The judging standards of Golden Goblet Awards at this SIFF is also the focus of everyone's attention. Zhang Yang, Jury President for documentary, especially emphasized that the film should be able to "impress people." Wang Yunfei, jury for animation, also believes that the audience should it should appeal to the audience and make them “empathetic”.

Main competition: Select widely recognized films and perform the jury duties

The main competition of Golden Goblet Awards has always attracted the attention of film industry insiders and professional fans. This year, 13 films in the main competition participated in the competition for the Golden Goblet Awards. The themes include romance films, criminal psychology films, suspense films, and black humor and so on.

Regarding the work of the jury just started, the famous director Huang Jianxin, Jury President of the main competition of the Golden Goblet Awards, said with a smile that "discussion" is the highlight of SIFF. "I have participated in so many film festivals, including international ones, and they have always been discussing, because they are professional workers, historians, and theorists, and everyone has their own opinions on aesthetic characteristics." Huang Jianxin believes that " Discussion is a great thing for movies", "because through discussion, everyone knows the principle of seeking common ground while reserving differences, and then everyone will tend to a certain degree of compromise to select movies that are more widely recognized."

The jury, Deng Chao, has the dual roles of actor and director. He once won the Golden Goblet Award for Best Actor for his "The Dead End". Deng Chao believes that China's film industry is getting better and better in recent years. He remembers that when he was a director for the first time, he participated in a "New Power of Film" forum. At that time, Han Han, Guo Fan, Lu Yang and others also participated as new directors with him. Last year, I met Lu Yang and Guo Fan again in the work "Sacrifice", and I felt a lot of emotion. Deng Chao said that from the series of "Brotherhood of Blades" to "A Writer's Odyssey" by director Lu Yang, and from "The Wandering Earth" to “The Wandering Earth 2” by Guo Fan, they represent the development of China's film industrialization. I deeply feel that the Chinese film industry is getting better and better. The jury and Singaporean director Chen Zheyi was particularly impressed by SIFF's support and tolerance for Chinese films. "We can feel SIFF's embrace of overseas Chinese films."

Dongyu Zhou, who is only 29 years old, is the youngest jury in the history of the Golden Goblet Awards, but she has already won the Golden Horse, Hong Kong Film Awards, Golden Rooster and other awards. Zhou Dongyu's greatest feeling is "honour" as a jury of the Golden Goblet Awards at a young age. "Being able to work with predecessors is a precious learning experience. I will not be restricted by my age as the 'youngest'. I will definitely perform the duties of the jury committee and use the vision and mentality of jury to make the selection."

Italian filmmaker Marco Muller is an old friend of Chinese filmmakers. As a jury, he especially appealed to young Chinese directors, "The SIFF PROJECT works of young Chinese directors I come into contact with every year, is at least 30 or 40, but after these films are finished, there is not much possibility of entering the cinema." Marco Muller pointed out that now some low-cost films can only be shown in cinemas for a few days, or a week at most, and many are still limited to "day trips". "I really expect that the diversified development of Chinese film productions."

Jury Matthias Delvaux is a Belgian photographer. In his eyes, Shanghai at night is the most beautiful scenery. "Especially on a rainy night in Shanghai, when the city was shrouded in mist. Shanghai is the future city of science and technology, which fascinates me very much." French producer Natacha Devillers is very optimistic about China's co-production market and hopes to seek more cooperation opportunities in China.

Documentary: focus on realistic themes, and the theme should move people

In recent years, documentaries have received more and more attention around the world, and the theme and expression of documentaries have repeatedly become hot topics in the industry. The finalists of the Golden Goblet Awards for documentary have not only a record of real life but also a reflection on social issues.

The Jury President for documentary this year is the famous director Zhang Yang, who has a deep connection with SIFF. "Voice of Dali" directed by Zhang Yang, which records the changes of nature and people in Dali throughout the year, was shortlisted for the 22nd SIFF Golden Goblet Awards for documentary, and the feature film "Paths of the Soul" was screened at the 19th SIFF. In the screening, and "Soul on a String" won the Golden Goblet Award for Best Photography that year.

From contestant to jury, Zhang Yang, who has changed his identity, talked about the criteria for judging documentaries. He said that the most important thing is that the story can "touch people." "I have made three documentaries from drama to documentary. In fact, the boundary between documentary and drama has become more and more blurred, and there are many overlapping things between them." Zhang Yang said, "Regardless of the theme or the technique, the most important thing is to impress and attract people. I think the most important thing is intuition."

Jury Yang Lina is a female director. Whether it is her previous documentary "Family Video" or the female feature film "Spring Tide", Yang Lina has won praise from audiences for her exploration of the connotation of realistic themes. "Reality documentaries have always been a topic that cannot be shied away from. I pay special attention to the impact of reality on my films, because I am not a professional screenwriter to create a story with sheer imagination, I have all my confidence and materials from my observation of life."

The jury and British director Arthur Jones’s documentary "The Six" was released in the mainland not long ago. "This is really a great opportunity. A British director filmed a realistic story about the Chinese. Our producer is a Chinese. The photographer is a Chinese. I think it’s a great opportunity to express such a story through a documentary. I think it’s good to do documentaries based on this kind of cooperation model in the future, and I hope I can do the same in the future."

Short film: Make short films to accumulate experience, and young directors need support

The Jury President for short film jury and Singaporean director Chen Zheyi won the "Golden Camera Award" at the 66th Cannes Film Festival for his debut "Ilo Ilo", becoming the most important figure in Singapore film history. Chen Zheyi made short films for 10 years before shooting the feature films. "I myself love to shoot short films very much. Young directors can accumulate experience through short films and lay a good foundation. Even if it is experience in communicating with actors and scene management, I have slowly accumulated experience through ten years of shooting short films." It is reported that this time in Shanghai, SIFF will screen Chen Zheyi's 7 early short films.

This year’s Golden Goblet Awards for short film has 10 shortlisted works. The jury Wang Yunfei, who is an animation director, was very surprised after watching the short films. "These short films allow me to live quietly with the author in a limited space and see their different thinking and expression. It is a good learning opportunity.” Wang Yunfei has just completed a feature-length animated film of his own, which took 5 years. “In contrast, short films are more relaxing and can be expressed in a more relaxed way in free form."

The jury and Dutch photographer Kees van Oostrum emphasized, “The first shot of a short film is very important, and the short film must attract the attention the first time.” Oostrum hopes that young directors will begin to practice by shooting short films. "But making short films is difficult to make money, and I hope that the government will have more support so that short film fans can devote more energy and attention."

Animation: historical themes can be re-interpreted, creators need space

Among the shortlisted works of Golden Goblet Awards for animation, some focus on traditional Chinese cultural themes, and some are classic IP sequels. Chang Guangxi is the Jury President and animation director, and formerly director of the Shanghai Animation Film Studio. He has been in the industry for 40 years and has also witnessed the rise of Chinese animation films. "100 years ago, the Wan’s brothers filmed China's first animation work "Shu Zhendong Chinese Typewriter" in a small, dark back room over a kitchen. From that time to today, Chinese animation has advanced by leaps and bounds, and changes have been earth-shaking."

"Nezha Conquers the Dragon King" is a classic animation produced by Shanghai Animation Film Studio. In the past two years, different animations with the image of Ne Zha are seeking innovation. Chang Guangxi also highly praised, "They transform and upgrade historical themes from the perspective of modern people. I think they are welcomed by a large audience in the market, especially for the current young audience."

Talking about the "traits" of good animations, the jury and animation director Wang Yunfei believes that "good art forms are the same", "the audience must be allowed to immerse and have a sense of empathy, and creators should create with earnest. But now, the process is not perfect yet, and I hope to give creators more space so that they can give full play to their personal things."

The jury Han Yang is a visual effects producer from Germany. If he chooses to make Chinese-style animations, Han Yang will put more emphasis on realistic themes. “China has a lot of excellent historical and traditional cultural stories, including myths and legends, I will choose shooting on themes that are close to today's realistic themes to make it easier and focus on more personal experience for the current audience."