In November 2023, when the 2023 "Going to the Mountains and Seas" Young Directors Creative Support Program (hereinafter referred to as the Mountains and Seas Program) sponsored by the Yangcheng Evening News Group was screened and exchanged in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, young director Chen Jianhang's short film "the river that holds" my hand" left a deep impression on the audience. In the film, an elderly returned overseas Chinese was separated from her family in the turmoil of the times. In her lingering thoughts, this helplessness and nostalgia were passed on to a documentary director. The director was emotionally moved and went to Vietnam, the birthplace of the elderly. Looking around for the building that lingers between the memories of Chaoshan and Vietnam.
returned from studying experimental film in the UK. Director Chen Jianhang borrowed real expression media such as sound, vision, and touch to imbue the emotions of a dusty history into the film. He has been collecting materials from the Chaoshan area all year round, collecting stories from people, and using ingenious audio-visual language to tell the memories that have been covered by the rapid development of society.
uses Jiang as a mediator to recreate the memories of overseas Chinese intertwined with history and culture.
Yangcheng Evening News: Why did want to film this story?
Chen Jianhang: This short film is actually an extension of a creative work. The prototype of the short film is the protagonist of a documentary I shot before. As explained in this film, she is an overseas Chinese born in Vietnam. When she and her grandmother visited relatives in Cambodia, the Vietnam War broke out, and she was separated from her family thereafter. The entire family was displaced and family members were scattered around the world.
Drama films have the advantage that they can recreate things hidden in history. Although the landscape is no longer what it used to be, and the rapid development of society has changed many things beyond recognition, these people are still there. Telling the memories of these people is what I want to explore.
Yangcheng Evening News: There are many scenes of Han Jiang in the film. How to understand the connection between your story and Han Jiang?
Chen Jianhang: Hanjiang is of great significance to immigrants. It is also the starting point for the grandfather who is the prototype of the story when he went to sea. Their hometown is also by the Hanjiang River. I can imagine people in the past standing on the riverside and looking at the distance. It was a scene of sending off a loved one, so I always wanted to shoot with the river as the scene, including the title of the short film "the river that holds my hand". Many of the shooting scenes in Chaoshan are places that I am very familiar with. I spend a lot of time in the field, so I have been able to accumulate a lot of favorite shooting scenes.
will expand outward in the future to show a complete portrait of the trendy people.
Yangcheng Evening News: How did you get into directing? What difficulties does a young director encounter in his early stages?
Chen Jianhang: I studied radio and television journalism in college, and I naturally came into contact with photography. After having some experience, I wanted to continue my studies in concepts and ideas, so after graduating from my undergraduate degree, I went to the UK to learn how they make movies and how to make art films. Later, I discovered that the direction of art film can push me to continue to make films, and it does not require a large crew or a lot of funds to start, so I took the film step by step until now.
is like some of my college classmates who made films. Many of them no longer work in this industry or make their own films. Most of the difficulties they face come from the balance of funds, time, and work. In fact, relatively low-cost short films can also be shot. In the final analysis, directors still have to find a method that suits them.
Yangcheng Evening News: Is there any director who has had a greater influence on you?
Chen Jianhang: My favorite director is Apichatpong. Many of his works are relatively unique in terms of image language and concepts. His expression techniques fascinate me, so there are more or less some of him in my works. shadow.
Yangcheng Evening News: When shooting an art film, how do you balance self-expression and reaching the audience?
Chen Jianhang: I studied experimental film before. In that atmosphere, the students around me were all artists, and they all had a desire to express themselves and had special ways of expression. There is overlap between film and contemporary art, but there are also differences. From my current stage, there is still a line between the two.Although I have always been on both sides of this line, for this short film, I have been polishing it at the script level and considering some issues of logic and matching.
Yangcheng Evening News: Your film creation has always revolved around Chaozhou. Why do you insist on doing this?
Chen Jianhang: Photographing Chaozhou is a natural thing for me. Without the land and people of Chaozhou, it will be more difficult for me to find my own creative point. Next, I will expand outwards. I want to go to Singapore, Malaysia, Cambodia, Indonesia and other places, where there will be different styles of hipster life. Only by connecting the inside and outside and displaying them together can everyone see a more complete portrait of the trendy people, because migration is a very important element in the history of the trendy people.
Mountains and seas are the lighthouse for Guangdong people to find their roots.
Yangcheng Evening News: How did you decide to participate in the Mountains and Seas Project?
Chen Jianhang: There are not many short film support projects in Guangdong and even across the country. The opportunity is rare. I happened to have something I wanted to shoot, so I signed up.
Yangcheng Evening News: How do you understand the five words "walking towards the mountains and seas"? What does it mean to Cantonese people?
Chen Jianhang: Guangdong is adjacent to the sea. Whether in the past or now, this sea area has been a link between Guangdong people and the outside world.
As for mountains, another protagonist of my last documentary I mentioned earlier used mountains to guide him on his way back home when he came back from overseas. When his ship returned to Shantou, he passed the mountain to confirm that he was back in Shantou. The mountain is the mark of his journey back to Chaoshan. Mountains are what local people have always looked up to, so we have a special affection for them.
Yangcheng Evening News: When telling stories to overseas audiences, do you think the dialect or regional culture in the movie is an advantage or a disadvantage?
Chen Jianhang: When it comes to overseas, we actually have to distinguish between different places. For example, Malaysia is different from some European countries. Malaysia has a large Chinese community, and Chaoshan, Lingnan, and Guangfu cultures are better preserved locally. This is a natural advantage for us to use dialects to spread the word, and it also shortens the distance. of ties.
Message to 2024 Mountain and Sea Project
"I hope the new directors of the Mountain and Sea Project will do a solid job in the field, prepare plans, stay open, trust the team, and everything will go well!"
- 2023 Mountain and Sea Project Young Director Chen Jianhang
2024 The registration channel for the Mountain and Sea Project has been opened It officially opens on April 20 and ends on June 20. The 10 young directors who are finally selected will receive support funds ranging from 50,000 to 200,000 yuan provided by Yangcheng Evening News Group for the shooting and production of themed short films. Please follow Yangcheng Evening News, Yangchengpai app, Jinyang.com or the official public account of Shanhai Project for registration details.
Text | Yangcheng Evening News all-media reporter Su Huilin
Pictures | Que Daohua, Xie Yixun, Chen Zitao
Producers: Du Chuangui, Lin Haili
Directors: Sun Aiqun, Sun Xuan, Hu Quan, Lin Rumin
Chief planner: Sun Chaofang
Executive director: Lu Nanfang
Event Coordinator: Cai Chunchun
