2019-01-18

A Record of the Silver Screen, a Tribute to 40th Anniversary of Reform and Opening-up “Everlasting P

“Everlasting Pictures – Movie Poster Exhibition in Memory of the 40th Anniversary of Reform and Opening-up” was published on December 24th. The album is based on the “Everlasting Pictures – Movie Poster Exhibition of the 40th Anniversary of Reform and Opening-up” held during the 21st Shanghai International Film Festival (SIFF) in June 2018. The enthusiastic responses triggered by the exhibition made the Organizing Committee of Shanghai International Film Festival decide to rearrange the content and layout, and publish an album of images and text in both English and Chinese. As a gift to the 40th Anniversary of Reform and Opening-up, the poster collection not only records the film history of the last four decades, but also encourages Chinese filmmakers to strengthen their cultural confidence, persist in reform and opening up, and make Chinese films a true “national name card”.

The 21st Shanghai International Film Festival in 2018 coincides with the 40th anniversary of the Reform and Opening-up. Therefore, the SIFF Organizing Committee envisioned a film poster exhibition, so as to look back upon the great hardships and endeavor of Chinese Cinema in its pioneer cause spanning four decades. The “Everlasting Pictures – Movie Poster Exhibition of the 40th Anniversary of Reform and Opening-up” took place on June 12-25, 2018 at the Shanghai Exhibition Center, Shanghai Film Art Center, among other locations. In such a short period of a dozen days, the Exhibition has aroused enthusiastic response in the society and was highly recognized by leaders at all levels, media, film festival guests and residents.

After the exhibition, many visitors suggested that the content of the exhibition should be compiled into a book to be officially published, so that more Chinese and foreign filmmakers and audiences could see the film history along the 40 years of Reform and Opening-up. Therefore, the SIFF Organizing Committee organized the compilation, and the Shanghai Calligraphy and Painting Publishing House published the “Everlasting Pictures – Movie Poster Exhibition in Memory of the 40th Anniversary of Reform and Opening-up”.

The content of the poster exhibition was rearranged, integrated, proofread, and reviewed, and added with the latest movie posters; the posters were re-scanned in high-definition to restore their true states. The Organizing Committee also made every effort to approach more than 60 film institutions owning the copyrights of the posters to obtain publication authorization and other materials. As some original posters are even absent in their film production agencies, the Organizing Committee received help from the Shanghai Film Museum and private collections. With the strong support of all parties, “Everlasting Pictures – Movie Poster Exhibition in Memory of the 40th Anniversary of Reform and Opening-up” managed to be published in the memorable year.

The collection contains a total of 192 movie posters, including those of LEGEND OF TIANYUN MOUNTAIN and HERDSMAN directed by XIE Jin, who has just been awarded the title of "Reform Pioneer", as well as the debut of the new director WEN Muye, DYING TO SERVIVE. Opening the poster collection is like unfolding a picture scroll recording the footprints of films in the last four decades: the great achievements made by Chinese films gradually emerge in front of you.

The 192 posters are divided into 6 chapters: The chapter "Inheritance" incorporates the works by three generations of directors in the beginning stage of the Reform and Opening-up, presenting the continual innovation and development of Chinese films while inheriting fine traditions; the chapter “Opening-up” shows the progress of Chinese film institutions taking steps to promote co-productions with overseas counterparts, and introduces the foreign films shot in China or telling Chinese stories; "Honor" records the glorious moments when Chinese films make their way to the international stage and receive numerous awards at international film festivals and exhibitions; "Advancing" has included the posters of a batch of outstanding films that are meaningful, artistic, and marketable as Chinese filmmakers forged ahead since the 18th CPC National Congress; “New Era, New Start” is featured by the posters of the remarkable films produced by the Chinese filmmakers entering the new era and standing at a new starting point following the 19th CPC National Congress; since every step of the Shanghai International Film Festival is a witness to China’s economic development and culture thriving since the Reform and Opening-up, the final chapter "Witness" has collected all the 21 theme posters of the Festival, an event gains prosperity from the fruits of Reform and Opening-up.

Posters to movies, is like portraits to characters, which bridge the communication between film works and their audience. Movie posters have evolved from manual hand-painting to CGI production, rendering more delicate, vivid and fascinating works in terms of image, color, scene, and style. The evolution of the movie poster itself also reflects the flourishing development of the Chinese film industry. From the pictures and words on a poster, we can learn that since the Reform and Opening-up, several generations of Chinese filmmakers have emancipated minds and forged ahead, not only greatly meeting the cultural demands of the public with fruitful creations, but also having taken a solid step in the "going global" of Chinese films with the cultural conscious of telling the stories of China, expressing the ideas of China and showing the image of China.

The 40 years of Reform and Opening-up is also the 40 years when Chinese films have been forging ahead, prospering and producing notable achievements. “Everlasting Pictures – Movie Poster Exhibition in Memory of the 40th Anniversary of Reform and Opening-up” is now published in both Chinese and English, which allows people from abroad to see the development and changes of Chinese film in the past 40 years, Chinese filmmakers to look back upon the footprints left by Chinese films, and the audience to recall their meaningful and memorable years. It is a historical testimony of Chinese movies in the past four decades.

Meanwhile, the poster collection has blew the horn of advancing, which inspires filmmakers to know the past, grasp the present, face the world and embrace the future, and encourages them to carry out the Reform and Opening-up thoroughly. They are expected to present more outstanding works that celebrate the greatness of Chinese Communist Party, China, Chinese people and heroes, striving to realize people\'s wish for a better life and create new miracles of the Chinese nation in the new era.