On the evening of December 31st, the 2023hishorts! Xiamen Short Film Week Awards Ceremony and Closing Ceremony were successfully held. 2023hishorts! It is co-sponsored by the University Film School, Anpengtang (Xiamen) Film and Television Culture Co., Ltd., and Xiamen Baolong City, and supported by the Xiamen Siming District Culture and Tourism Bureau.
At 19:00 on the same day, the red carpet ceremony of hishorts! and the birth of the final list of winning short films. Directors, screenwriters, actors, writers, producers, media people, artists and musicians appeared one by one, bringing shining stars to the closing ceremony.
Shortlisted short films and nominated short film creators in the main competition walked on the red carpet. They shared with the host and the audience their feelings of participating in hishorts! and their mood at this moment, and also expressed their expectations for the New Year. Subsequently, directors and producers from the venture capital sector also came to the closing ceremony with short and feature film projects. The projects shortlisted for the venture capital sector this year have diverse themes and perspectives, representing the enthusiasm and creativity of today's young filmmakers. The last guests and judges of this short film week appeared. They reviewed their movie-watching experience from a professional perspective, shared the surprises and challenges they encountered during the judging process, and put forward their outlook on the emerging trends in the future development of the short film industry. . After the
red carpet ceremony, the short film week entered the awards ceremony, which is also the most anticipated moment of hishorts! every year. Du Lei, deputy director of the Xiamen Siming District Culture and Tourism Bureau, took the stage to speak, saying that this year's hishorts! Xiamen Short Film Week is more cosmopolitan than before. Siming District supports and will continue to support hishorts!.
The first award was announced by the venture capital unit . Compared with the venture capital of other festivals, there are many differences between the venture capital of hishorts! and the venture capital of other festivals. Only the main creator has participated in hishorts! or been shortlisted for hishorts! Only projects recommended by friends are eligible to be selected, which ensures the quality and standard of the shortlisted projects. This time hishorts!'s 5th anniversary venture capital unit awards are more abundant, including the best animation project, the best documentary project, the best short film project, the best feature film project, as well as the Nam Kwong¡Light and Shadow Launch Award, etc. awards.
Among them, the winner of the best animation project was "My Friend Chen Kankan" , which was awarded by Wan Jun. "My Friend Chen Kankan" won the Best Animation Project Award for its unique creativity and superb production technology. This work cleverly combines stop-motion animation with live action, exploring new areas of experimental animated imagery. The material selection and color application of the stop-motion animation part are very distinctive. The contrast between the "soft" scene and the "cold" puppet material creates a unique atmosphere like Fauvist painting. The director's professional background and study and work experience at Aardman have given him excellent artistic aesthetics and solid production capabilities. This film is not only a successful exploration of the art of animation, but also a wonderful challenge to the audience's visual experience.
The winner of the best record project was "The Boy Under the Ring" , which was awarded by Shao Xiaoli. "The Boy Under the Ring" won the Best Documentary Project Award for its profound depiction of the fate of characters and the exploration of social values. This documentary tells the story of a father, son, and coach who were involved in the tragedy surrounding boxing. Boxing entrusted three people with vital life issues and hopes, but boxing did not give everyone a satisfactory answer. The ultimate destiny story of the three protagonists in the film demonstrates the director's keen ability to capture excellent materials. Just staying at the story of fate is not enough to show the possibilities of this film. In fact, behind every character there is a strong, social pursuit of value, and they just happen to come together. At the same time, there is a misplaced helplessness between interactions.Although the director may face many expression choices and challenges during the editing stage, this work has shown its great potential and wide range of film and television adaptation possibilities.
The winner of the Best Short Story Project was "The Lighthouse". Wan Jun presented the award to "The Lighthouse". "The Lighthouse" won the Best Feature Short Film Project at this film venture capital meeting, which is full recognition of its outstanding performance. The contrast between the protagonist and the antagonist is sharp. Through the cleverly conceived plot and the background of major historical events, the character is quickly established, and an unavoidable dramatic conflict is created in the limited length of the short film. The redemption at the end is clear and profound, leaving the audience with profound hope. As a witness of the Wenchuan earthquake, the director combined personal experience with social context to show the complexity and profundity of emotions.
The winner of the Best Feature Film Project was "Long Night" , and Shao Xiaoli presented the award to it. "The Long Night" won the Best Feature Film Award for its excellent plot concept and carefully crafted character settings. The characters are full-bodied and the counterpoint is clear, using the empathetic inner dilemma of young people as the lead of the drama, and incorporating cleverly arranged suspense elements, giving this work the potential to move from an art film to a broader market. The protagonist's growth line advances to the climax of the drama in a violent and unconventional way, which is impressive. Audio-visual language is highly avant-garde, and the pursuit of artistry is well-documented. The team behind the scenes is top-notch and the level of craftsmanship is worth looking forward to. The director has proven his mastery of film language in his previous works, and this new work undoubtedly has the potential to attract widespread attention in domestic and international markets.
Two works won the Nanguang¡Light and Shadow Launch Award , they are "Ring Finger" and "Long Time No See" , directed by Huang Wenli and Huang Yanan respectively. The Nam Kwong¡Light and Shadow Launch Award was established by Nam Kwong Film and Television Lighting Equipment Company to support and encourage the innovation and creation of young directors. This award not only symbolizes the love and support for the film art, but also provides valuable lighting equipment sponsorship for the winning film projects. This reward mechanism represents Nam Kwong's deep commitment to the film industry, emphasizes the close integration of technology and art, and promotes the improvement of the quality of film and television works. The Nam Kwong¡Light and Shadow Launch Award shoulders the mission of leading and inspiring a new generation of film talents, and illuminating the way forward for young directorsâ film dreams.
The award ceremony progressed to the main competition section . Since the first time hishorts! solicited short films from around the world in 2019, this year has unknowingly reached its fifth year. In the 130-day film solicitation rally, our collection The volume of tablets reached a new high. This year hishorts ushered in an unprecedented 7,691 film submissions. After professional analysis and intense discussions among the judges of the preliminary review, re-review and final review, the awards for each unit were finally determined.
The winner of 's Best Commercial Short Film was 's "Smile Sweetly" , which was awarded by Li Kangsheng and De Gecairang. "Smiling Sweetly" is like a candy, and candy is as sweet as a smile, even though it is a story about taking a photo of an old man. "Smiling Sweetly" is sincere and moving in audiovisual format, with a clear and unique temperament.
This hishorts! Best Music Short Vacancy . The works shortlisted for the 2023 hishorts! music unit cover all-inclusive styles such as rock music, pop music, folk music, hip-hop, experimental music, etc. But just as we cannot know the exact number of music types currently, among the 714 works competing for this year's hishorts! Best Music Short Film, after rigorous selection at the preliminary, review, and final levels, we regret to announce that The title of "2023 hishorts! Best Music Short Film" will not be awarded to any of these works. This may be the same as music has developed into the 21st century and there are still infinite possibilities to explore and practice. I hope this suspension can inspire more image creators to create more amazing and unexpected music MVs.
The winner of the Best Animated Short Film was "Sewing Love" , which was awarded by Mr. Michelangelo Framartino and screenwriter Ms. Giovanna Giuliani.This film reveals in an incredible way those things that cannot be captured by the naked eye. With a stunning physical miracle, the most precious human emotion - love, is given shape in its contradictions, reaching a The state of art.
The winner of the Best Documentary Short Film was "Blow the Dream Without a Trace" , which was awarded by Lu Xingchen. This is a documentary film bursting with great power. This power comes from the protagonist Yangyangâs youthful and vigorous figure, her sincere and sunny smile, and her love for all things in the world; this power comes from Yangyangâs brave struggle against her unfortunate fate and her disdain for secular prejudice. care, and the relentless pursuit of self-definition. She inspired us and warmed us up.
The winner of the Best Experimental Short Film is "The Fishes" , which was awarded by the crew of "Sleepless Night" (Yang Tongkun, Hua Kaitian, Zheng Zheng, Shen Siyuan, Jacki, Zhu Shiwen). When the boss in the film is looking through the fish tank at the office without oxygen, the audience is looking through the screen at everything that is happening in the film; when the concept of "human meat dry battery" is discarded in the trash can with a blurred appearance. When the form of human waste is visually presented, this mirror-like direct metaphor allows the audience to immediately reflect on themselves, and also allows experimental films to consistently advocate "breaking through the limitations of traditional films and exploring with experimental techniques and unique artistic expressions." The purpose of "breaking the boundaries of the film medium and challenging traditional audience expectations" was maximized in a very short period of time.
The winner of the Best Feature Short Film was "The Neighbors" , which was awarded by Liang Ming and Philip Bober. This short film is well-made, with well-balanced writing, acting, audio-visual, and editing. The language of the film is mature, refined and accurate, and space and emotion are perfectly integrated. Under the director's very steady control, stubbornness and stubbornness gradually transformed into softness and warmth throughout the day and night, narrating a simple and universal daily life.
The short film that received special mention from the jury was the short film "Dreams within Dreams in the Other Mirror" in the documentary section, for which Philippe Bober and Lee Kang-sheng presented awards. Our world is as far as the eye can see, and image expression is still what the eye can see. What about the world of the blind? There are touches, imaginations and dreams, but all of this is still challenging for the camera.
The short film that won the Jury Prize was "The Sea Around Us" , which was awarded by Zhang Jian and Michelangelo Framartino. This short film seems to be an indifferent and flat narrative. It follows the face of a small person at the bottom of society. He remains silent until the last moment when he lowers his head and falls to the ground. Only then can he understand the world, see all living beings, and walk in trouble in the mud. Every shot of the director is not exaggerated, and slowly unfolds a realistic and humanistic work.
The short film recommended by the chairman of the jury is "The White Horse" , which was awarded by Marco Muller and Zhang Jian. "The White Horse Lies" is a graceful and stunning short film, which was unanimously approved by the review judges. It has a unique perspective, precise cutting, and witty and delicate narrative. By telling the story of two old people in Shanghai, it brings out the historical causes and faces human confusion. The actor's performance is subtle and believable, and the expression of the work is rich and complete. It is a good movie worth watching on the big screen. His excellence can stand the test of time.
Marco Muller then expressed congratulations on the smooth holding of hishorts!, saying that this is the soil for young creators. The Asia-Europe Youth Film Exhibition will be held in Macau from January 5 to 11, 2024, with hishorts! as a strategic partner.
In the section of the growth unit, we have witnessed the transformation of directors, and seen the creatorsâ unremitting efforts and sincere enthusiasm for film art. To this end, we have specially set up the Growth Unit Special Mention Award . The winning directors are Lin Qiying, Luo Yi, Xin Chengjiang, Wen Xiaolin. Shen Siyuan will present the awards to them. This award is not only a tribute to the past, but also an expectation for the future.With this special mention, we encourage these outstanding directors to continue to pursue their dreams and move forward with determination.
Director Ladi won this year's hishorts! Best Growth Award in the Growth Unit for "Shanghai Joke". Ning Dai presented the award to him. Ladi's work "Brunch in the Heart of the Lake" was nominated for the 2022hishorts! Animation Unit; "Shanghai Joke" was nominated for the 2023hishorts! Drama Unit.
"Shanghai Joke" is a drama film. Through the chance encounters and conversations of several groups of young people in Shanghai's West Bund and other trendy art districts, it shows the current living conditions of young and highly educated white-collar workers gathered in Shanghai. The film's precise character lines, through repeatedly rehearsed action design, are presented in a real way close to a documentary, showing the prosperity and emptiness of today's Shanghai, the hypocrisy of the younger generation's pursuit of fashion and civilization, as well as their thinking about the current situation and the disillusionment of their former dreams. intolerable. Faced with such a serious subject, the director did not assume a condescending attitude. No matter from the movement and perspective of the camera, the simplicity of the scene, or the characters' vivid and humorous lines, they all allow us to have a glimpse of the characters' hearts and laugh. There was a trace of sadness in the voice. Director Hu Hanyu has gone from the animated short film he was selected for last time, which was an animated short story that unfolded with a sudden burst of joking creativity, to this year's feature short film. His talent and humorous style are still the same, but he points to reality in the story played by real people, and is vigilant. Fascinating everyone, he is the well-deserved winner of this year's Growth Unit Award.
The above are all the award-winning works of 2023hishorts! Xiamen Short Film Week. Let us congratulate every award-winning creator and thank every friend who participated and paid attention to hishorts!. With the ringing of the New Year, everything has settled, and this hishorts! Xiamen Short Film Week has also come to an end. In this wonderful night of intertwined light and shadow, and twinkling dreams, we were fortunate enough to witness the vitality and dance of China's new film power, and let us look forward to the excitement of 2024hishorts!.
