SIFF YOUNG Forum｜The Creative "Secret" of Outstanding Young Filmmakers-Bear in Mind the Original Aspiration and Be Loyal to Dreams

On the afternoon of June 12, the SIFF YOUNG X (hereinafter referred to as “Y Project”) officially announced at the Shanghai International Film Festival (SIFF) the five filmmakers selected for its 1st session, namely, Han Shuai, Liang Ming, Rao Xiaozhi, Wang Jing, and Zeng Guoxiang. In the subsequent SIFF YOUNG Forum, Ning Hao, President of the Final Selection Jury and a well-known director, the juries Wang Hongwei, Natacha Deviller, and the selected young filmmaker Han Shuai, Liang Ming, Rao Xiaozhi, and Wang Jing discussed "Exploring the Growth Path of Young Filmmakers".

Y Project is initiated by SIFF and the Cannes Film Market under the guidance of the Shanghai Film Bureau. It aims to give full play to the advantages of the platform and policy guarantees to provide all-round support for young filmmakers. At the forum site, Cannes Film Market’s Director Jholm Bayah also sent a blessing video: "On behalf of the Cannes Film Festival, I congratulate the shortlisted filmmakers. I hope that the Cannes Film Festival will serve as a link to connect outstanding filmmakers to the international film market. "

Look back at the original aspiration of creation: what really matters is to shoot

Ning Hao, President of the Final Selection Jury of Y Project and well-known director, also emerged from SIFF YOUNG X. Recalling his previous creative experience, Ning Hao couldn't help but claim: "The biggest challenge we face is that there is no money and no people. But looking back today, the crew is so small and thus management is easy, and under the environment and conditions at the time, this is the only way."

The jury and screenwriter Wang Hongwei believes that the talents of young directors are the most attractive. "When I first saw Ning Hao's short film debut, his talents amazed me! I think such an ability of storytelling and expression is very rare among the young."

Wang Jing was one of the filmmakers selected for the first Y Project. He graduated from the Beijing Film Academy in 2007 and has been hesitating about the subject of his debut. In 2017, Wang Jing participated in the filming of the film Ash is Purest White as an executive director. During the period, he was appreciated by Jia Zhangke and recommended him to a. producer Unexpectedly, the two hit it off well. When recalling the past, Wang Jing said that as a newcomer, we must grasp every opportunity and every relationship. “In this process, you learn to listen, learn to compromise, learn to correct, and learn to find new possibilities again.”

Before shooting his first film, Rao Xiaozhi had ten years of experience in theater stage directing. His debut work is adapted from the drama The Insanity. When sharing his creative experience, Rao Xiaozhi believes that the most important thing is to act, "No matter what conditions you have, no matter what difficulties you are in face of, the most important thing is to act. I know that many young directors will hesitate. But I think the most important decision at that time was to make it and shoot bravely."

Liang Ming's debut work Wisdom Tooth made a great coup after it was released last year. As for the reason why he chose to change his role from actor to director, Liang Ming said that the most important opportunity at that time was I wanted to express what I’ve accumulated. "Later, I found that I could express it by writing. It allowed me to find a way to talk to myself, but also to the world."

When he was still in his freshman year, Han Shuai watched director Ning Hao's work twice, "I was surprised how the filming could be so exquisite with limited money, and a small team. At that time, I thought I might be able to make movies too. Because it’s not out of reach. Not like producing the Star Wars, I think I can shoot the people around me and the things I’m most familiar with. This is actually an early inspiration."

Commercial nature and art should be balanced

Young directors who are new to the industry tend to place more emphasis on personal emotional expression, while ignoring the commercial nature of films. How to maintain the balance between art and commercial result is a problem that young directors have to face. Wang Hongwei believes, "As long as there is such a gap, you can't solve the problem. You should see from the young man what his strengths are and whether his shortcomings can be made up."

From his debut The Insanity, to the unexpected box office winner A Cool Fish, and to the excellent Spring Festival film Endgame, Rao Xiaozhi said frankly, "If we really want to balance, we still have to put our own feelings in filming. But sometimes the audience may be hindered in understanding the film, so, I will do some balance in creation, and even in editing. This is what experience teaches us."

For Ning Hao, whether it is the box office blockbuster, Crazy Stone, or a series of masterpieces afterwards, he has achieved both commercial success and the audience’s praise. However, Ning Hao said that he rarely considers market factors in his creation. "A good work means you find it interesting and the audience can agree with the content you want to express. We and the audience are always a unity, not opposing ones, requiring us to guess whether they like it or not."

While pursuing artistic expression, many young directors will consciously or unconsciously cater to the styles favored by major international film festivals. In this regard, the jury and French producer Natasha believes that this kind of starting point is not conducive to creation. "Directors should not customize films for the preferences of the Cannes Film Festival. Such films will not be shortlisted. As a director, you must shoot what you really want in your heart, so that you will not compromise for the market and the festival. The work then will be successful.” Natacha Deviller said that it is necessary to go beyond the festival's way of thinking in order to reach a global audience and make further progress in commercial pursuit.