The 26th Shanghai International Film Festival siff young×Shanghai Young Filmmaker Support Program (hereinafter referred to as "Y Plan") recently announced the list of selected filmmakers. As one of the final recommenders of this year's "Y Project", Liang Ming is called the "Master Brother", not only because he began to have a deep connection with the Shanghai Film Festival 12 years ago, but also because in 2021, he is the "Y Project" "One of the first batch of young talents. Every 12 years, from being an unknown person who came to Bole with a project to feeding back the platform with his personal experience, Liang Ming likened his fate with the Shanghai International Film Festival and Shanghai to that of a student and a school. “Every time I come to Bole with new results, From the report, you can feel the atmosphere of the film city, which is a very good opportunity for young filmmakers."
In fact, Liang Ming is not an exception. Filmmakers with different qualifications such as Zhang Meng, Han Jie, Diao Yinan, and Li Xiaofeng all had the experience of being discovered, seen, and praised in Shanghai, and then moved into the wider world. Based on the festival's positioning of "Asia, Chinese, Newcomers", after years of intensive development, the Shanghai International Film Festival has formed the mini film unit, Golden Goblet Short Film, Venture Capital Training Camp, Film Project Venture Capital, Golden Goblet Asian Newcomer Unit, Golden Goblet Award And the "6+1" stepped newcomer cultivation system of siff young×Shanghai Young Filmmakers Support Plan. In this step-up system, Shanghai starts from the diverse needs of talents in the film industry, intervenes at different stages of individual growth, builds a ladder for newcomers' dreams, and reserves the future for Chinese films.
"Postgraduate Entrance Examination Award" one-stop service, forming a closed loop of support for talent growth
Well-known producer and producer Liang Lin has at least two identities at this year's Shanghai International Film Festival. She is both one of the annual recommenders of the venture capital training camp and a "Y Plan" final selection recommendation group members. Observing from different steps of the "6+1" ladder, she compared the venture capital training camp to a "pre-exam tutoring class", while the "Y Plan" was a big exam. "There is a clear hierarchy. To put it simply, when you come to the film festival, some people lack the funds for incubation, and some people need professional training to establish their own film views and understand the film market." The Shanghai Film Festival allows people with different qualifications and different levels of preparation to Newcomers entering different sections are like students with different progress receiving targeted tutoring. The "teachers" who came to the newcomers included Wong Kar-wai, Huang Jianxin, Ning Hao, Guan Hu, Lu Chuan and other famous Chinese film directors.
From this perspective, Liang Ming's past 12 years are like completing the "postgraduate entrance examination award" one-stop process in Shanghai. In 2012, he was shortlisted for the "Chinese Film Project" at the Shanghai Film Festival with "Under the Sun"; in 2019, this directorial debut was completed with the label "Produced in Shanghai", and has since been recognized at film festivals such as Pingyao, Rotterdam, and Osaka. ; In 2020, "Under the Sun" returned to the Shanghai Film Festival and entered the "Official List of Selected Films for the Asian Newcomer Award"; in 2021, he became one of the first young directors selected for the "Y Project"; in 2022, his personal first The filming of the second feature film "Xiaoyao·you" was completed, and the following year he applied for support funds specially customized for the "Y Plan" from the Shanghai Cultural Development Foundation... In 2024, he has grown from a young man holding a stepping stone to a One of the great talents for discovering new people.
A total of 8 young filmmakers were selected for this year's "y plan", including 5 directors Huo Meng, Jiumei Chenglie, Kong Dashan, Wei Shujun, and Zhao Ji, screenwriter Chen Shu, and 2 producers Xie Meng and Ying Luojia . Taking the certificate and looking at it, Ying Luojia was particularly excited, "I have to make sure that the word 'producer' is really written on it, because in domestic or international fields, it is really great to be able to give individual incentives to producers." It’s rare.” Liang Lin also confirmed this, "Films are investments, not speculations." New creators often know only part of the story but do not understand the entire process of a film's life cycle. A good producer can understand the artistic pursuits of newcomers and also understand the artistic pursuits of newcomers. It can better help creators find their correct positioning. "The Shanghai Film Festival can not only pay attention to new content creators such as directors and screenwriters, but also set its sights on producers. This is based on Shanghai's overall understanding of the film industry and talent growth." Liang Lin said, providing new talents with different types and different styles. The support at this stage actually achieves a closed loop in talent cultivation.
Closely linking creation and industry, injecting new vitality into movies
Building a platform and injecting new vitality into the future of Asian newcomers and Chinese films has always been the mission and pursuit of the Shanghai International Film Festival. Just from the shortlists of the "Y Plan" and the venture capital training camp, it is not difficult to find the "reserves" for future masterpieces and films.
For example, Wei Shujun, this new "Y Project" talent may become the next new film star to fly from the Shanghai platform to the wider world. In 2020, his " Yong'an Town Story Collection " was shortlisted for a venture capital project in Shanghai. Subsequently, the film was launched in Shanghai and won three nominations for the Golden Rooster Award for Best Director, Best Screenplay and Best Small and Medium-Cost Feature Film in 2023. . This year, Wei Shujun's "Sunshine Club" premiered at the Shanghai International Film Festival and was shortlisted for the Golden Goblet Competition.
Another example is the entrepreneurial shortlisted project "Hanjiang Farewell". In 2019, Zhang Xinyang came to the Shanghai Film Festival with his script project. The story unfolds in an ancient riverside city, using the daily labor of a girl and a monk as clues to connect aspects of the lives of several small characters. This story was shortlisted for the script project. Zhang Xinyang received valuable advice from the Shanghai Film Festival, "Always maintain a high sensitivity to the world and a sense of people." This year, the project that returned to Shanghai received unanimous praise from Lu Chuan, Yao Chen, and Liang Lin. "This is an interesting soul." Yao Chen said.
In fact, if you look at the list of works at all levels, you will find that young directors have a wide range of choices - love, women's fate, the plight of little people, the lives of people of different ethnic groups... Various themes and types can be the object of their expression. Lu Dan, Zhang Xinyang, Wan Bo, Wang Zixuan...the names of these creators who seem unfamiliar today may become familiar to the audience in the future. Looking back, Ning Hao, Zhang Yang, Wen Muye, etc. all made their masterpieces when they were very young.
Guan Hu said: "Film is a career for young people." The Shanghai International Film Festival, which closely follows creation and connects industries, strives to inject more new vitality into Chinese and Asian films.
Author: Wang Yan Guo Fanxi Zang Yunjie
Text: Reporter Wang Yan Intern Guo Fanxi Zang Yunjie Picture: Photo provided by the respondent Editor: Shi Wei Editor: Xing Xiaofang
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