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Asian New Talent Award:A Chance to Spot Talented Directors
http://www.chinacoproduction.com 2008-06-07 China Film Co-Production Corporation
On a rare occasion,the judges of the Asian New Talent Award,a key event of the 10th Shanghai International Film Festival,share their opinions on the current situation of Chinese film industry and how to spot and nurture the potential of young directors. Judge Panel The five-member judge panel of the award represents a truly international lineup of award-winning directors and film critics—Chinese Mainland director He Ping (Chairman),Japanese director Isao Yukisada, Thailand director Apichatpong Weerasethakul, China's Hong Kong director Mabel Cheung and French critic Jean-Michel Frodon. As a Chinese fifth-generation director, He Ping is revered for creating a new genre of filmmaking in his works Swordsman in Double Flag(1991), Red Firecracker, Green Firecracker (1940), Sun Valley (1995) and Warriors of Heaven and Earth (2004), and has set a good example for young directors with his artistic achievement. Jean-Michel Frodon is editor-in-chief of Les Cahiers du Cinéma, an influential French film magazine which has inspired generations of French directors. Discover Young Talents The Asian New Talent Award aims to spot talented young directors across Asia and help them find film investors and distributors for their works. "Many young directors cannot afford to have their films screened in cinemas. The Asian New Talent Award offers an opportunity for them to attract publicity and audience," says He Ping,chairman of the award's judge panel. "Our work is to spot real talents in a group of aspirational young people. As an international lineup, the judge panel is qualified to discover promising young directors who have the potential of winning international acclaim." "You can't succeed in the film industry without talent. The talent of Jia Zhangke was discovered in a film festival ten years ago. My potential was also first discovered in a film festival. I hope the young directors will seize the opportunity to show their talents at this year's festival." The diversified film works vying for the Asian New Talent Award will stimulate the growth of the award, says Judge Jean-Michel Frodon. Hong Kong's Film Industry As a leading Hong Kong director, Mabel Cheung is concerned that Hong Kong's films are losing their unique characteristics and charm. The output of Hong Kong's film industry has reduced by 20 percent compared with ten years ago,says she. She hopes China's Hong Kong's films can retain their own characteristics while trying to suit the taste of Chinese Mainland audience. Her view was echoed by director He Ping. "China's Hong Kong films are losing their flavors. However, the mainland film industry also faces similar problems. Many Chinese Mainland directors like to hire China's Hong Kong performers to play in their big-budget films,but they are only able to make meager profits when the films are shown in China's Hong Kong," says he. "We should try to explore a new cooperation method for the Chinese Mainland and China's Hong Kong film industries," he concludes. Jury for Asian New Talent Award of 10th SIFF He Ping (Director, China) As an experienced director and editor, He Ping is the Secretary-General of the China Film Association, and a national first-class director. The film The Swordsman in Double-Flag Town (1991) won the Young Film Director Award in Berlin International Film Festival. The film Red Firecracker, Green Firecracker (1993) won the Best Film in Hawaii International Film Festival, and Best Director at the 14th China Golden Rooster Awards. Sun Valley (1995) won Special Jury Prize at the 46th Berlin International Film Festival. During 1997 and 1998, he was appointed as the Advanced Advisor of Beijing Film Studio when he has supervised and produced 8 films, among which The Dream Factory has opened up a new brand of Chinese New Year's Movie. Mabel Cheung (Director, Hong Kong, China) Mabel Cheung graduated from the University of Hong Kong,majoring in English Literature and Psychology. She holds an Advanced Diploma in Drama and Visual Arts from Bristol University, UK, and an M.F.A. in Film Production from the New York University Graduate Film School. Cheung has become an award-winning director in Hong Kong since her debut feature, The Illegal Immigrant (1985), which won her the Best Director Prize at the Hong Kong Film Awards and a Special Jury Award at the 30th Asia Pacific Film Festival. Jean Michel Frodon (Critic, France) Director of Cahiers du Cinéma, film critic and historian of cinema, Frodon graduated in history and became a journalist and film critic at French leading daily Le Monde from 1990 to 2003. After that, he was named the director of Cahiers du cinéma. From 1998 to 2001, Frodon was in charge of a seminar at Ecole Normale Supérieure (Ulm): The Body on Screen. He used to teach at National Institute of Political Sciences on the topic of Politics of Image, and now he teaches film critic at Sorbonne. Isao Yukisada (Director, Japan) Born in 1968 in Japan, Isao Yukisada acted as a director for the first time in the long-theatre-film Open House in 1997. His second production Sun Flower won the International Critics Prize at 5th Pushan International Film festival, which made him an eye-catching new prominent director. The film Go Drected in 2001 won the Japanese Director Oscar Award, as well as many other film awards, making him one of the world famous directors. Apichatpong Weerasethakul (Producer, Thailand) Apichatpong was born in Bangkok, 1970. He holds a degree in Architecture from Khon Kaen University and a Master of Fine Arts in Film-making from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. He began making film and video shorts in 1994, and completed his first feature in 2000. Working independently of the Thai commercial film industry, he is active in promoting experimental and independent film-making through his company Kick the Machine, founded in 1999. |
