from "kangxi and louis xiv" to "swimming in the sea of people": how guangzhou makes small and medium-cost films visible
2024-08-31
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"the crisis has arrived and change is imminent." on august 29, mao yu, deputy director of the film bureau of the publicity department of the cpc central committee and in charge of daily work, directly pointed out the crisis in the film industry in his speech at the 7th "china film new force forum". his speech went viral in the film circle.
in the face of the crisis, the industry needs to share the mission. mao yu thanked the major film companies and film events for taking on the responsibility of nurturing new talents, and said, "thanks to hengdian and guangzhou for building a platform for the trading of small and medium-cost films."
why does guangzhou want to promote the trading of small and medium-cost films, and what platforms has it built?
real money, training new people
let small and medium coststhe movie grows
this summer, "guangzhou products" are very close to the audience. whether it is the highest-rated chinese animation "falling into the mortal world" in the summer season, or "the silence" with a box office of over 1.3 billion yuan, they are all produced by guangzhou film and television company and have received special support funds for the guangzhou film industry.
august, guangzhou. the premiere of "swimming in the sea of people" was held at the screen of the palace cinema, and the young creators stood in front of it. director cai jie, producer mo jinjin, screenwriter wang yin and actress lin dongping were all born after 1985 and grew up in guangdong. this is cai jie's first feature film. like most young directors' first theatrical works, "swimming in the sea of people" was also a low-budget production, and the road from filming to release was difficult.
"everyone says the end credits go too slowly. but we want to make it slower, because we have many people and organizations to thank, and we hope that the audience can see them clearly," said mo jinjin. "the sea of people" is a "guangzhou production", and the film has received a number of supports in guangzhou, such as the 2023 guangzhou cultural and tourism industry development special fund, the guangzhou film industry special support fund, and the guangzhou municipal funding for "young directors' first film".
the main creators of "swimming in the sea of people" appeared at the premiere event in guangzhou
"swing dance", which was also funded by guangzhou's "young directors' first film", also started shooting in guangzhou in august. the film is set in guangdong and tells the story of young people's "swing" and growth. the creative team is also young filmmakers rooted in guangdong: director liu xing and screenwriter duan tingting both teach at the jinan university school of art/pearl river film academy.
in 2024, guangzhou will spend nearly 30 million yuan to support film creation, film talent training, and film festivals and exhibitions. the documentary film "kangxi and louis xiv" was selected as a key support project for guangzhou's fine arts. four creators, including cai jie and liu xing, received support for the "first film of young directors". the animated film "falling into the mortal world", the documentary film "classmates", and the cantonese opera film "prince rui and concubine zhuang" received funding in creation and distribution. the real money support has become a solid support for young filmmakers to take the first step, and has provided a strong guarantee for the production and screening of small and medium-cost films.
recently, the 2024 lush international venture capital, one of the major events of the guangzhou film industry expo, announced the list of the top 20 projects. one of the purposes of the venture capital activity is to discover young film creators, support small and medium-cost films, collect and incubate film projects with a total investment of less than 20 million yuan worldwide, and provide a platform for further industry exchanges and script improvement for the top 20 projects through master classes and other methods.
build a platform to promote transactions
let small and medium-budget movies be seen
the screening of the "premier in guangzhou" event was the first time that "the sea of people" "traveled" back to guangzhou and met with local audiences. since its landing in 2021, "premier in guangzhou" has held premieres for many small and medium-cost films such as "little stars", "the last, the first" and "the whisperer", recruiting audiences for the films and organizing media publicity.
as a box office city, guangzhou has long been ranked among the top five in the country in terms of box office. there are 242 cinemas and more than 1,700 screens in the city, providing more opportunities for small and medium-cost films to be "seen".
"premiere in guangzhou" event
this kind of "being seen" is not only reflected in the screening and promotion at the terminal, but also in the construction of the front-end investment and trading platform.
in order to promote the transaction of small and medium-cost films, guangzhou holds two major trade fairs a year: in the first half of the year, the national film (guangzhou) fair connects the buyers and sellers in the market through a number of film project bidding and matchmaking meetings; in the second half of the year, the first guangzhou film industry expo and trade fair, hosted by the guangzhou municipal government and organized by the propaganda department of the guangzhou municipal party committee, will open in september, showcasing guangzhou’s resources in film and television equipment manufacturing and film and television animation, focusing on film transactions and industry licensing markets, and creating a "china film industry import and export fair."
rising stars, going global
young filmmakers take their works abroad
starting from august 22, "falling into the mortal realm" was released in theaters in 18 countries including singapore, australia, and new zealand, officially entering the overseas market. this is another "going overseas" of guangdong-produced animated films, bringing oriental aesthetics to overseas screens.
the documentary film "kangxi and louis xiv" shot by guangzhou radio and television station was screened at the 10th french chinese film festival and the 77th cannes international film festival. on the screen, the french merchant ship "amphitrite" arrived in guangzhou, and off the screen, the "guangdong story" continued to shine in the sino-french film exchange.
"kangxi and louis xiv" kicks off the "china film festival"
after seven years of creation and polishing, "swimming with the sea" has "swum" to multiple film festivals, and has been "landed" in 18 international film festivals, including the "bright future" unit of the 53rd rotterdam international film festival and the "ingmar bergman competition unit" of the 47th gothenburg film festival. in rotterdam, the typhoon and lychees in "swimming with the sea" left an impression on european audiences, and the film festival commented: "the texture of peeling fresh lychees, the loud sound of summer typhoon rain... "swimming with the sea" explores that people have another kind of life besides their daily lives." the unique scenery of lingnan and the theme of "looking for father" are the resonances formed by "swimming with the sea" and overseas audiences.
"the sea of people" made cantonese sound in many european cinemas, and "summer period" made the audience of more than 100 film festivals hear chaoshan dialect. this short film, directed by lan canzhao and produced by the flash media (guangzhou) studio, won the best short film award of the jury of the new generation children's unit at the 74th berlin international film festival in january 2024. a year earlier, "the day before the summer solstice", produced by lan canzhao and directed by another guangzhou youth he yupeng, was shortlisted for the 76th cannes international film festival's film cornerstone unit.
"summer period" was shortlisted for the berlin international film festival's new generation children's unit poster
the fertile soil of lingnan produces sweet lychees. guangzhou cultivates young film talents, and young filmmakers from guangzhou continue to create and innovate, bringing their works to the whole country and guangdong stories to the world.
jin zhehua, reporter of nanfang.com and yuexuexue
