SIFF PROJECT | No Problem is nominated for the 37th Warsaw Film Festival International Competition

The 37th Warsaw International Film Festival will officially draw to a close on 17th October 2021. The film titled No Problem (originally titled No Problem With Thought) was the only Chinese film featured at the Warsaw International Film Festival, competing against 13 other movies vying for the grand award of the international competition. Last year, the film was still in its production phase and was nominated for the “Works-in-Progress” segment of the 23rd Shanghai International Film Festival’s Venture Capital Film Projects, and clinched the honored title of “Best Work-in-Progress”. 

No Problem was invested in by The Seventh Art Pictures, supervised by Jing Liang, and directed by Jiachen Jiang. The film is a realistic comedy that casts Long Liang, Shuaiqi Fan, Jill Hsu, Tianming Jia and Hongwei Wang in the lead role. The story revolves around Lao Zuo, a father who clearly arranged for his daughter, Mingming Zuo, a secure job in their hometown back in Northeast China. However, his daughter who has a passion for music desires to head to the south to roam the world and make a living instead. The fight between the father and daughter with contradictory thoughts is going to start. As such, Lao Zuo runs around seeking a solution to the problem. 

Echoing the comments it received when they won SIFF PROJECT’s “Best Work-in-Progress” award, No Problem “was capable of perfectly combining comedy rooted in Northern China and the author’s expression. The director’s broad vision allowed a story between an ordinary pair of father and daughter to effectively portray people in today’s society who are in the midst of transition. The film remained considerate of the market while putting forth a solemn statement at the same time.” The film delved deep into worldly sentiments, customs and cultures as well as financial relationships. Not only did it effectively illustrate the geo-cultural scenery and landscapes, but it also displayed the conflicts in modern families, and even more so a particular overlap in such a narrative with the author’s personal pursuit. The film adopts a somewhat “crude” style to express the gulf between two generations as well as the impending mid-life crisis that many are currently or about to face, effectively creating emotional resonance with the audience. Worthy of mention is the actor who plays the role of the middle-aged father Lao Zuo, Long Liang, who is a well-known rock musician. This is also Long Liang’s first time hitting the big screens. 

No Problem is director Jiachen Jiang’s second feature film. Previously, Looking For Lucky” wrote and directed by him clinched the “Asian New Talent Awards – Best Actor” award, and was nominated for “Best Screenplay” at the 21st Shanghai International Film Festival. In discussing about the creative intent of No Problem, Jiachen Jiang expressed that with the progression of times, Northeast China has experienced vast changes brought by economic development. The environment that he grew up in was testimony to the shift, and people of different walks of life were a great source of inspiration and creativity for him. “Reality lies right before us. How we express it in words is the burden of an author. That is the creative intent behind my desire to produce this movie, to reflect the era and region through film.” 

During the Shanghai International Film Festival 2020, not only did No Problem receive critical acclaim from the jury, but it also turned the heads of various film companies including The Seventh Art Pictures. After the film festival, a contract was successfully signed with The Seventh Art Pictures for the project. In addition, the film successively clinched the Overseas Promotion Award and the Outstanding Work-in-progress Award at the 10th Beijing International Film Festival, the Robotech Trailer Production Award at the 3rd Hainan Island International Film Festival and the Outstanding Work-in-progress Award at the Silk Road International Film Festival in 2020. It was also nominated for the main competition segment of the 15th FIRST International Film Festival, as well as the 37th Warsaw International Film Festival.

This year’s Warsaw International Film Festival will be held from 8th to 17th October. As one of the 15 international A list film festivals around the world, Warsaw International Film Festival has become one of the most important movie galas in Central and Eastern Europe ever since its inception in 1985. Last year, Chinese film Hot Soup, the winner of SIFF PROJECT 2018 that was directed by Ming Zhang, was also nominated for the main competition segment of Warsaw International Film Festival. Inclusive of No Problem and Hot Soup, there are a total of 42 films that have been shortlisted as a SIFF Project at the Shanghai International Film Festival and subsequently nominated for main competition or screening segments of major international A list film festivals.