Daily News-June 18th

Award jury devoted to encouraging \'new blood\' talent

By Liza Li(Shanghai Daily)

Jury members of the Asian New Talent Award held a meeting with media during the ongoing 21st Shanghai International Film Festival.

The award has been a key platform for supporting and promoting emerging Asian filmmakers since 2004, many of whom have now become veterans in the industry.

“New blood needs to be introduced to every industry and filmmaking is no exception," said chairman of the 5-member panel, Hong Kong producer Shi Nansun.

"I’ve always been interested in the works of young people and the five films we watched yesterday were so intense ... I enjoyed them very much,”he said.

In addressing the phenomenon of handsome young actors who are extremely well paid, Shi said it was important to appropriately cast the right actors and actresses.

He said making unusually high payments for those who don’t have the corresponding skills and experiences does not contribute to healthy development of the industry.

Chinese actress Song Jia, known for her role in “Falling Flowers,”said her transformation from actress to jury member had not been easy.

But she found the opportunity to watch excellent films and learn through exchanges of ideas has been an enjoyable experience.

Filipino director Raya Martin said he was looking for strong emotions which were important to help a film get through to the audience.

"They are young filmmakers with energy to express themselves and a lot of braveness in their voices," he said.

Chinese cinematographer Zeng Jian said sincerity and attention to overall storytelling was more important than creating beautiful images.

The group photo of Jury members of the Asian New Talent Award. Pic by CFP

FORUM

Jury chair JiangWen speaks out about career, awards and originality

By Emily Yao(Shanghai Daily)

Celebrated Chinese director and actor Jiang Wen, the Golden Goblet Award jury chairman, hosted a wide- ranging discussion during the SIFFORUM at yesterday\'s ongoing 21st Shanghai International Film Festival.

He talked about his award- packed film career as an actor and director, his criteria to choose the best movie award and his latest film,“Hidden Man,”that will hit screens in July.

“Originality is important. And a director with an attitude,” Jiang told the audience at the“Filmmaking with Jiang Wen”forum.

Famous for his blunt and sometimes controversial comments, Jiang said that if a director couldn\'t have "the say" in his movie, he just shouldn’t make the film.

“It will be a waste, even if he does (make it),”he added.

Jiang first rose to fame in the late director Xie Jin’s masterpiece“Hibiscus Town”in 1986. He has worked with many established Chinese directors as an actor, including Zhang Yimou in the award winning“Red Sorghum”(1987).

More recently, he played Baze Malbus, guardian of the Whills, in the Star Wars movie“Rogue One”(2016).

Jiang, the film actor, switched to directing in 1993 with“In the Head of the Sun,”still considered a classic Chinese art house film today.

“Hidden Men,”his sixth directorial work, is set in 1937 just before the Second Sino- Japanese War broke out. The film features a martial arts practitioner who escapes massacre by the Japanese and returns for revenge.

“In 1937, all Chinese faced the turbulence of a broken family and nation when the Japanese invaded,” Jiang said of the movie’s setting.

“Fighting that invasion was something that should be featured but Chinese filmmakers haven’t done as good a job as our foreign colleagues," he added.

By comparison, he said, overseas movie companies have invested a lot financially and artistically into making the persecution of the Jews "known to even an ordinary young Chinese growing up in a remote town.”

Jiang Wen, the Golden Goblet Award jury chairman. Pic by CFP

FORUM

Guide to ideal Shanghai filming locations and policies launched

By Joyce Xu(Shanghai Daily)

Adetailed guide to film locations in Shanghai and related government policies was released during the 21st Shanghai International Film Festival yesterday.

The publication "Filming in Shanghai —Shanghai Film and Television Guide 2018”was issued by Shanghai Broadcasting Film and Television Producers Association.

The release was accompanied by a promotion conference about Shanghai filming locations. The guide was complied by Shanghai Film and Television Production Services Institution.

It includes detailed information about the city’s 200 or so film shoot locations, and latest film and TV production policies. Video material about the locations was made available.

In terms of its wealth of resources for filmmaking, Shanghai has become a popular backdrop for film and TV productions from home and abroad.

Producers association director Yang Zhenhua also signed a Memorandum of Strategic Partnership with representatives from Greece and Canada yesterday to strengthen cooperation in film coproduction.

The guests of the forum. Pic by Tigong

The group photo of guests in forum. Pic by Tigong

SPOT

Youku sponsors production of 30 new Chinese movies

By Joyce Xu(Shanghai Daily)

Video hosting service Youku released a slate of new film production projects on June 18 at the Internet Summit of 2018 Shanghai International Film and TV Festival.

Youku announced it will cooperate with celebrated scriptwriter Shu Huan and Dirty Monkeys Film Studio to produce 30 movies within three years.

Many of the movies will be directed by talented young Chinese filmmakers. They will cater to the tastes of younger generation through diverse subjects and novel storytelling.

Among the projects are an interactive online movie“ 4:40,”sci-fi mini-series“Future Disease”and suspense thriller film“Lost In Time.”

Liu Kailuo, a Youku official, said the Internet had become a strong new force for the development of Chinese cinema in marketing, distribution and production.

“More and more well- received, online movies have emerged in recent years,”Liu added.

“Technological progress in cinematography and audience interactivity will bring about more creative productions on the Internet.”

The group photo of the scene. Pic by Tigong

FORUM

Charms of history keep veteran Han Jing making films

By Joyce Xu(Shanghai Daily)

“The Scapegoat,”the latest documentary of veteran filmmaker Han Jing, was premiered at the ongoing 21st Shanghai International Film Festival yesterday.

The history film tells the story of Wang Yaqiao’s failed assassination of Soong Tse- ven — a prominent early 20th century businessman and politician — at a railway station in Shanghai.

Director Han, whose credits include acclaimed documentary series“Imperial Examination,”said the genre of history always had a fascinating charm for her.

She said it is rewarding to explore unknown stories and to try to solve the mysteries of history.

This documentary took around three years to make.

“A challenge for me is how to make the storytelling of a history documentary attractive to today’s audiences,”Han added.

She used innovative cinematography to reproduce scenes in the film to augment the historical facts. The movie is expected to hit cinemas across China later this year.

Han is also considering developing the concept into a film series using other stories about Chiang Kai-shek and Ding Mocun.

Poster of "The Scapegoat." Pic by Tigong

The director Shoured her experiences in the scene. Pic by Tigong