2019-01-18

The SIFF Project-honored and the Asian New Talent Award Winning film - BLUE AMBER – is Scheduled to

Recently, the film BLUE AMBER, directed by ZHOU Jie, and starring WANG Zhen’er, LV Yulai, GEN Le, ZHANG Yao and WANG Caiping was announced to be screened on December 17. The project was shortlisted for the Shanghai International Film Festival (SIFF)’s SIFF Project in 2016, and was then awarded the Asian New Talent Award for Best Cinematographer at the 21th SIFF in 2018.

In 2016, director ZHOU Jie had his first feature film project BLUE AMBER enter the finalist of the SIFF Project of the 19th Shanghai International Film Festival, which was highly praised by the Jury and market buyers, and finally won the honor of “Best Talent Project”. And the filming was launched in Chongqing in June 2017.

Director ZHOU Jie and BLUE AMBER at the 19th Shanghai International Film Festival – SIFF Project Forum

In 2018, BLUE AMBER returned to the 21st Shanghai International Film Festival and won two nominations for the Asian New Talent Award for Best Cinematographer and Best Film. At last, with the unique shooting expression style that left a deep impression on the Jury, the film became the winner of the Asian New Talent Award for Best Cinematographer. The Jury commented that the film was expressed in a minimalist aesthetic, integrating characters into the environment and unveiling the story step by step.

The film is adapted from the novelette A LIFE OF 240 MONTHS by the famous writer XU Yigua, and it is the second time that her work is staged following the widely recognized film THE DEAD END (adapted from her work, THE SUNSPOT).

BLUE AMBER tells a story of HE Jie, the heroine, whose husband accidentally died in a traffic accident. She was compensated but lost all her loved ones. And a valuable amber made her caught in a puzzle of life value. She was finally relieved after she got to know the desperation of the perpetrator’s family, and accepted the destiny in a gentle manner.

Still photo of BLUE AMBER

A premiere event for the film was held in Beijing on December 9. On the day of the event, director ZHOU Jie and starring WANG Zhen’er were present to share with the audiences the wonderful details of the film during the creation process. WANG Zhen’er was recognized by industry insiders and fans through the tragic character of LI Huilan suffering from domestic violence in BATTLE OF MEMORIES directed by CHEN Zhengdao. This time, she played a woman with rich emotions and sensitivity in BLUE AMBER. WANG Zhen’er said during the exchange after the premiere ceremonies, "To play a good role, after joining the filming group, I constantly adjust the state and slowly become the heroine myself."

Premiere event for BLUE AMBER, Beijing

Director ZHOU Jie positioned the film type as “mystery, drama” that grasped the audiences\' attention with the ups and downs of the plot, while guiding the audiences to think about the problems faced by the characters in the film, and reflect on human nature. The director hopes that every ordinary person can find a way to calm down and try to reconcile with his inner confusion and willfulness through the film.

BLUE AMBER was produced by iQIYI Films (Shanghai) Co., Ltd., and co-produced by New Clues Film Co.Ltd., Hualu Media (Beijing), and Woxiang Films (Beijing). The film will be screen through the special channels of China Film Alliance on December 17, 2018.