2020-07-28

GGA Official Selection│Short Films

The collection of short films listed in the 23rd Golden Goblet Awards (GGA) Official Selection was screened at the Shanghai International Film Festival (SIFF). Filmmakers of some of the works attended the press conference today (July 28), including Yang Yuhao, director of Red Sun; Wan Chuanfa, director of The Drone over Corn Fields; Xue Feng, director of A Barefoot Buddha; and Wang Kunao and Bateer Liu, director and protagonist of Summer Swing. The International Short Film Competition has always been one of the most creative and active modules of SIFF, where new directors try to discuss and interpret social issues in a short, simple and powerful way. Some of their works are creative and original.

In Red Sun, a group of children in a town decide to shoot a film during their summer vacation. While shooting and playing, they get to know the prosperity of the town in the old days and its decline nowadays. Talking about the original intention for shooting the film, Director Yang said that on one side, the film is born out of his childhood experience; on the other side, he wants to record and reveal changes in people\'s life in the towns of northern Sichuan stricken by the Wenchuan Earthquake. Graduating from Beijing Film Academy, Yang said he had always been taught by the elders and teachers to "shoot films sincerely". Therefore, he has been trying his best to bring his true feelings into his work.

The Drone over Corn Fields is the maiden work of Wan Chuanfa, professor of Shanghai Theatre Academy. Based on the social reality in rural areas, it tells a story about a left-behind child. Da Lang lives in the countryside and his father has been away from home for 15 years. One day, his father suddenly appears before Da Lang, and brings his new wife and son with him. Da Lang is at a loss over his long-lost father and new family members. Wan revealed that Guo Xiaofeng, the actor of the father, is the elder brother of Guo Xiaodong, a well-known actor in China. When Guo Xiaodong saw the script, he immediately recommended his brother to Wan, which led to the cooperation between the two.

A Barefoot Buddha, an animated short film, uses plenty of Dunhuang frescoes elements and adopts the form of story-telling and singing in Chinese shadow puppetry, boasting a rich flavor of traditional Chinese culture. It takes Dunhuang frescoes as its objects in a creative way, which is refreshing. Director Xue Feng said that since frescoes played the role of enlightening all living creatures in ancient times, this film also teaches the audience to care for others, from their own families to their nations and countries. "It would be more powerful to tell a life story by standing on the shoulders of giants, that is, the art system of Dunhuang frescoes spanning thousands of years."

Summer Swing is "a story of the cruelties of youth" in the 1980s. Xiao Jun, who is just admitted to a university, gets to know the campus gang leader at a secret party, and is unexpectedly involved in a murder incident. Dance is a key element for art expression of the film. Director Yan Kunao said that they want to leverage this art of romance to express the power of romanticism itself and its influence on people under certain circumstances and age. Protagonist Bateer Liu revealed that when he was auditioning, Yan asked him what dance meant to him. He then answered: "Dance makes me know that I am alive in this world". Deeply moved by the reply, Yan started his cooperation with Bateer.