Layout of the 3rd page of China Art Newspaper on October 14, 2024
In the past ten years, Chinese films have entered a new period of development. Under the needs of the times to tell Chinese stories well, the majority of film workers have strengthened their cultural self-confidence, devoted themselves to creation and cultivation, adhered to the people-centered creative orientation, strengthened the creation of high-quality products, and achieved the "main theme", "diverse genre themes", "transformation and exploration" and "integrity and innovation" to the fullest, showing a prosperous and diversified development pattern. Inspired by the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping's "Speech at the Symposium on Literary and Artistic Work", Chinese films have continuously improved the guidance mechanism for creation and production, giving full play to the role of various subjects, and injecting reform momentum into Chinese films in terms of specific organizational practice and related vision expansion, showing a development trend of leapfrogging leaps and bounds, giving Chinese films new significance.
One
Carry forward the main theme and create a new era
A masterpiece of key themes
Looking at the overall development trend of Chinese films in the past ten years, it has increasingly become the duty, mission and consciousness of Chinese film workers to carry forward the Chinese spirit, spread Chinese values, gather Chinese strength, reflect the new changes in social development with high-quality masterpieces that keep up with the times and contemporary perspectives, and open up a new realm of film. In the past ten years, the Chinese screen has condensed multiple expectations, from the spirit of the people's nature to the diverse themes and dazzling genre performances, a series of film masterpieces have appeared one after another, and the creation of major revolutionary and historical films has attracted widespread attention and resonance, and has had an important impact. Among them, new breakthroughs have been made in the presentation of major revolutions and historical themes, and they have been organically combined with genre, and a number of works with good word-of-mouth and box office have appeared. The creation of works on the theme of party history, such as "The Great Cause of the Founding of the Army", "Changjin Lake", "Shuimen Bridge of Changjin Lake", "Me and My Motherland", "Me and My Hometown", "Me and My Fathers", "1921", "Revolutionary", "On the Cliff", "Bloody Battle of Xiangjiang", "Gutian Army", "Warrior", "General Assembly", works that show major events in the historical process, are called and influenced by the times, and most of them use civilian perspectives, genre narratives and commercial operation modes to win the resonance of the audience. The military-themed films "Wolf Warrior", "Wolf Warrior 2" and "Sky Hunting" run through the main theme of reflecting national self-confidence and pride, and strive to show the true meaning of art while instilling strong patriotic passion. "Deng Xiaoping's Climb to Yellow Mountain" shows a piece of Deng Xiaoping's history as a landscape music film in retrospect. Films such as "Outwitting Tiger Mountain", "Operation Mekong" and "Operation Red Sea" use the creative lineup of Hong Kong directors and other creative lines, the narrative mode of commercial films, and integrate action scenes and special effects, which is in line with the trend of the obvious increase in the commercialization of film stars, and combines with the market to set a new record for movie-watching.
Poster of the movie "My Motherland and Me".
Thematic creations have broken through the fixed mode of expression of previous works and become an important force to enhance the influence of Chinese films, and they continue to prosper, in the expansion of genre and artistic expression, the posture of mainstream value embedding is softer, and the power of universal empathy is obtained, showing the unique value and key significance of mainstream films. Most of the excellent tribute films or live-action films have a documentary or epic style, gradually breaking away from the stereotypes and formalities of the past, and setting and consolidating a new benchmark for the creation of main theme films. The promotion of excellent traditional Chinese culture is more directly related to the participation of films in the formation of national discourse and ideological expression, and gratifying progress has been made in the adaptation and creation of classics or folk tales based on traditional Chinese myths and other classics. The majority of filmmakers are committed to multi-theme, multi-genre and diversified creation, containing rich cultural content, making vivid modern interpretations and audio-visual expressions of cultural elements, linking them with the dimensions of authenticity and artistic individualized construction, trying to innovate and integrate, and winning the audience, which has greater possibilities and achieved significant social and economic benefits.
The Fifth Plenary Session of the 19th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China clearly put forward the strategic goal of building a cultural power by 2035, which is contemporary, realistic and instructive, and is of great significance to Chinese film creation.
Two
Different genres became realism
An important field for the pursuit of diversity
In the past ten years, domestic films with different genres have shown the diversity of realism. Reality films "Eighteen Cave Village", "Border Keeper", "Chinese Captain", "I Am Not the God of Medicine", "Nobody", "Find You", "Life Events", "Miracle· Stupid Child", "Young You", "Island Keeper", "Chinese Doctor", "All or Nothing", "In the Octagonal Cage", "Disappearing Her", "I Love You!" It records the times, illuminates human nature and life, shows a cross-section of real life, the narrative rhythm is exquisite, the genre is mature, and the performance is exquisite, which is loved by the audience. The sci-fi film works "The Wandering Earth" series, "Lonely on the Moon" and "Tomorrow's War", and the ethnic minority film "The Drums of the Taklamakan " also strive to deepen the story line, reflecting the strength of emotional and artistic expression. The "The Wandering Earth" series explores the new dimension of the science fiction theme, adopts the good rules of art, and gives full play to it, puts the spirit of traditional Chinese culture in the framework of the film's world view, selects diversified film resources, integrates new opportunities, has rich imagination, moderate rhythm, and has the wonder and uniqueness of a Chinese science fiction movie, which has been loved by the audience.
Poster of the movie "Eighteen Cave Village".
The creation of excellent feature films is very rich, and in the genres of action, comedy, love, and youth, it is obvious that the innovation of techniques, the expansion and deepening of the subject matter. Commercial genre films have made considerable achievements in this period, not only continuing to explore at the level of genre, but also enriching the film market with a variety of themes, representative works include "Detective Chinatown" series, "Shadow", "Evil Does Not Prevail", "Di Renjie: The Four Heavenly Kings", "Wushuang", "Charlotte's Troubles", "Iron Fist of Shame", "The Richest Man in Xihong City", "Burst Silently", "Hello, Li Huanying", "Manslaughter", "Assassination of a Novelist", "Man Jianghong", "Fengshen Part 1: Chao Song Fengyun", "Catch the Doll", etc. The different styles provide a new reference for the exploration of commercial genre films for Chinese films. The artistic film also shows the efforts to expand, explore and extend in multiple dimensions such as film language, film concept, film narrative, etc., which is delicate and warm, and the actors' performances are mostly sincere and touching, full of sense of proportion. With "Donkey Gets Water", "Children of the Rivers and Lakes", "The Last Night of the Earth", "Fireworks in the Day", "The Intruder", "A Cloud Made of Rain in the Wind", "The Earth Lasts Forever", "Children of the Rivers and Lakes", "Roadside Picnic", "A Problem That Doesn't Matter", "The Party at the Southern Station", "Killed a Sheep", "Sherlock on the Plains", "Lanxin Theater", "Wild Horse Mane", "The Long Confession", "Mom! "Cosmic Exploration Editorial Department", "Yong'an Town Story Collection", "It's Worth the Trip", "The Light of the White Tower" and other films, many good or relatively good literary and artistic films, strive to break through the niche aesthetic taste, show more mature film techniques and efforts to surpass their own existing style. Films about rural areas, children's and ethnic minorities use a dramatic structure to organize a fascinating world, each with its own harvest and development. Animated films show different development contexts, industrial outlooks and artistic characteristics. From "Journey to the West: The Return of the Great Sage", "The Great Protector", "The Adventure of Tang", "Little Door God", to the "Bear Infested" series, "Pleasant Goat" series, "Nezha's Demon Boy Descends", "White Snake: Origin", "Luo Xiaohei Zhanji", "New God List: Nezha Rebirth", "White Snake 2: Green Snake Robbery", and then to "Male Lion Boy", "New God List: Yang Jian", "Deep Sea", "Chang'an 30,000 Miles", has maintained a consistently high level in animation audio-visual effects, innovative techniques, and quite aesthetic, bringing creativity and vitality to the film market, and the box office continues to rise. The documentary films "Twenty-Two", "Earth: A Magical Day" and "Return to the · Wolves" are noteworthy, showing the character of documentary film as art.
Poster of the movie "I Am Not the God of Medicine".
Poster of the movie "Thirty Thousand Miles of Chang'an".
In the world of film creation, a typical phenomenon is the concentrated emergence of a new generation of filmmakers. They are full of vitality, most of them are post-85 and post-90s, the pursuit of individual value realization is consistent with artistic innovation, and they are full of passionate love for movies, from Ning Hao, Chen Sicheng to Lu Yang, Guo Fan, Wen Muye, from Li Ruijun, Olympic bid, Kong Dashan to Wei Shujun, Zhang Mo, Liu Jiayin, Liu Xunzimo, their film works have diverse genre preferences, pay attention to diverse perspectives, and have the courage to face the judgment of public opinion. It has market insight and has its own in-depth expression in the presentation of the theme.
Three
Industry & Market: Film Ecology
It shows a trend of transformation and development
Since entering the new era, the film industry has shown the basic appearance of sustainable development. The development of film is closely related to national consciousness and the political, social and economic development of the times. At the market level, the reform of the film system has been deepened, the nature of film as an industry has been more clearly confirmed, the power of capital has become active, and the investment structure has gradually changed, showing a new development logic and continuous changes. On March 1, 2017, the "Film Industry Promotion Law of the People's Republic of China" was officially implemented. With the implementation of the law, Chinese films have officially entered the "Year of Promotion of Creative Quality". Since 2018, the Propaganda Department of the CPC Central Committee and other ministries and commissions have jointly strengthened the governance and regulation of issues such as sky-high salaries, "yin and yang contracts", and tax evasion in the film and television industry. The implementation of various policies and governance measures has made the film market develop more healthily.
Poster of the movie "Changjin Lake".
In the historic market leap of Chinese films, the reform of "delegating power, delegating power, delegating power, and providing services" has brought more vitality to the market, and the Spring Festival, summer and National Day files have played a "schedule effect", full of energy, strength and diversity, and performed strongly. The summer film "Wolf Warrior 2" has set a number of records with a box office of 5.683 billion yuan and 160 million viewers. The key theme film "Changjin Lake" released on the National Day set more than 30 film history records, and finally won a box office of 5.773 billion yuan, becoming a prominent highlight of domestic films. In the past ten years, nearly 800 feature films were produced each year in the first five years, and about 50 animated films, science and education films, documentaries and special films were each produced, with a total annual output of about 1,000 films. Since then, the new crown epidemic has had a global impact on films, and annual production and box office have fallen year-on-year. However, compared with the film markets in various countries and regions around the world, the development of the domestic film market exists beyond people's general predictions, and the output and box office still maintain a certain number or even an increase trend. In 2020, China surpassed North America for the first time to become the world's No. 1 grossing film market, fully demonstrating the vitality of the Chinese film market, which has experienced a rapid recovery of the industry after the epidemic. In 2021, it became the "Year of Film Recovery", with a total of 697 feature films released, and the total box office and total number of screens for the whole year continued to rank first in the world. The box office miracles created by films such as "Wolf Warrior 2", "Changjin Lake", "Hello, Li Huanying", and "Nezha's Demon Boy Descends" reflect the huge market potential of Chinese films.
The new force of Chinese films continues to grow and grow. The Film Bureau of the Propaganda Department of the CPC Central Committee continues to organize and carry out various training and research activities for film talents, and funds the "Green Onion Plan", a support program for young directors of the China Film Directors Association, through expert review. The China Federation of Literary and Art Circles and the China Film Association actively organize training courses for young and middle-aged talents, and pay close attention to the development of members and new literary and artistic groups. From "Life Events", "Young You", "Nezha's Demon Boy Descends to the World", to "All or Nothing", "Disappearing Her", "Dad", "Yongan Town Story Collection", "More than Endless" and "Cosmic Exploration Editorial Department", the main target is young audiences, showing the breakthrough and innovation of the new generation of film power, and injecting new impetus into the prosperity and development of Chinese films.
Poster of the movie "The Wandering Earth 2".
Promote the co-production of films in different countries and regions and the film industry transactions of the "Belt and Road" countries, and the international dissemination and overseas expansion of Chinese films have become the mainstream and are gradually getting better. Chinese films have built an overseas distribution platform, promoted the overseas layout of the film industry, and confidently conveyed Chinese culture and Chinese power to the world. "Wolf Warrior 2" was released simultaneously in 30 countries and regions, more than 50 cities, and more than 40 theaters in North America, Europe, Oceania, and Asia. The Chinese Mandarin with English subtitles version of "Nezha's Demon Boy Descends" was quickly released in 66 IMAX/3D theaters in Los Angeles, New York and other places by taking advantage of the hot sales in the domestic market, and then fully rolled out in North American 2D theaters. The English dubbed version landed in North American theaters and was released in theaters in 13 cities including Los Angeles, New York, Houston, Toronto, and Ottawa.
Many outstanding domestic films are mainly promoted and distributed overseas by the "Chinese Films, Celebrate with the World" domestic film global distribution platform, and more play a role in international cultural exchanges through various film weeks and film screenings, and hold Chinese film exhibitions and film weeks in overseas countries and regions. This is in line with the Shanghai International Film Festival, Beijing International Film Festival, Hainan Island International Film Festival, Silk Road International Film Festival, BRICS Film Festival, Macao International Film Festival, FRIST Youth Film Festival, Pingyao International Film Festival and other film festivals, which continue to contribute to the flow of film in the new era.
Four
Film Criticism and Academic Research
Exploration, imagination and new horizons
In the past ten years, the creative practice of domestic films has been rich and colorful, and the related theoretical criticism and academic research trends have also been particularly active, showing a unique academic perspective, with a wide range of research dimensions and scopes, and film history, film criticism and criticism have further enhanced the sense of theory, practice and future awareness. The "Chinese Film School" and other proposals combine Chinese practice with global experience to demonstrate the efforts to construct a film theory system with Chinese characteristics. Among them, there are many solid academic masterpieces, and the research methods are eclectic, such as "Film, Technology and Society", "Aesthetic Research on the Film Industry", "General History of Chinese Film", "The Road of Change-Chinese Film Industry since the New Century" and other works, highlighting the new examination of the discourse perspective and genealogy of Chinese film theory and historical research, "Chinese Film Dictionary" has a total of 20 volumes, more than 2,200 words, huge volume, detailed content, through innovative style and multiple dimensions to complete the plural profile of Chinese films, It reflects the academic vision and value of the film research community. "Film Art", "Contemporary Film", "Popular Film", "Contemporary Animation", "World Cinema", "Film Criticism", "Film Literature", "New Films" and other important film publications, adhere to a serious position, closely follow the current industry and research hotspots, focus on theoretical, cutting-edge and national characteristics, have solid theories and rich content, and continue to launch high-quality theoretical reviews with academic weight.
The Film Bureau of the Propaganda Department of the CPC Central Committee has carried out audience satisfaction surveys through special tasks, carried out mainstream professional media discussions and comments on domestic films, promoted the construction of a comprehensive film evaluation system and film public opinion positions, and supported and encouraged excellent domestic films to expand their social influence and enhance market competitiveness, which has been quite effective. The China Film Association launches the "China Film Art Report" and "China Film Industry Report" every year, and tracks the development of films in a timely manner, summarizes experience, and gives play to the positive role of film criticism in guiding creation by conducting research and holding seminars. However, it should be noted that the connection between mainland film theory criticism and film practice is still limited, and how to influence and guide film creation to a greater extent, draw experience from history, and fully understand the question of "who is filmed for, how to shoot, and who watches films" is still the top priority. Only by strengthening the organization and in-depth development of film exchanges and academic theoretical research, so that more researchers and critics with vitality and theoretical imagination can take action and participate in it, so as to truly make film criticism flesh and blood, and point out the direction for the development of film, it is possible to maximize the vitality of the symbiosis between theory and creation.
Five
Organizational Leadership and Integrity Innovation:
A new journey towards a new era of strong shadows
Films play a vital role in serving the overall situation of the country, enhancing the spiritual strength of the people and enhancing the soft power of culture, presenting a new atmosphere and creating a new situation. On November 9, 2021, the "14th Five-Year Plan for the Development of Chinese Films" was released. The national film department is to organize and implement the "Xia Yan Cup" excellent film script collection activities, outstanding youth film drama support projects, and film script demonstrations, etc., and strive to guide the creation of outstanding domestic film scripts; Through the subsidy of outstanding domestic films with different types of themes (major revolutionary and historical films, films on rural, children's and ethnic minority themes, animated films and documentary films), according to the needs of key publicity work, topic selection planning, and the creative level, scientific and technological content, branding degree, domestic market share and other factors of the film, guide and promote the improvement of the overall quality and social repercussions of the film; Through the creation of excellent tribute films, the "Film Quality Promotion Year" and the "New Power Forum", the effective promotion of "Films Going Global" has enabled Chinese films to achieve substantial results, present new highlights and characteristics, and maintain a good development trend.
The scene of the 37th Popular Film Hundred Flowers Award Ceremony
The China Federation of Literary and Art Circles and the China Film Association face the national film industry, strengthen the organization and guidance of the work, enhance the centripetal force and cohesion, and promote China to move towards the road of a film power. The orderly development of film festivals, exhibitions and seminars and other practical work suggests a new ecology of the development and practice of Chinese films. In addition to the "Five One Project" Film Works Award for the Construction of Spiritual Civilization, as the most authoritative and influential film award in China, the annual Chinese Film Golden Rooster Award, the biennial Popular Film Hundred Flowers Award, and the active holding of the China Golden Rooster and Hundred Flowers Film Festival have played a huge role in keeping in mind the original mission, adhering to the right direction, focusing on the quality of the film, and attaching importance to and focusing on the needs of new audiences. The results of the Chinese Film Golden Rooster Award and the Popular Film Hundred Flowers Award fully reflect the people's nature, the times and professionalism, and constitute an important part of the film evaluation system with Chinese characteristics.
The Cross-Strait Youth Film Short Film Season, Chinese Youth Film Week, and Golden Rooster Film Venture Capital Conference, sponsored by the China Film Association, have played a leading role in the high-quality development of Chinese films as important film practice activities. The existing more than 20 professional working committees of the China Film Association also continue to carry out various professional activities in an orderly manner, successively holding China Online Film Week, Chinese Opera Film Exhibition, Film Script Promotion Activities, "Striving for a New Journey· New Era of Film" Theme Exhibition, National Film and Television Base Exhibition and Forum Activities, China Film Science and Technology Forum, Documentary Film Conference, Golden Boy Elephant Children's Film Week, "Colorful China" National Film Festival, Film Collection Exhibition, China Film Sound Art Creation and Teaching Summit Forum and other activities. It demonstrates the vitality and cohesion of the organization. In recent years, the China Film Association has been organizing and carrying out industry work, constantly paying attention to and attaching importance to it, grasping the pulse of the times in film development, exploring the uniqueness of China's experience, and keeping pace with the new era, enhancing centripetal force and cohesion, and promoting Chinese films to move towards the road of becoming a strong country.
Six
Building a Community of Cinema: In the World
The only way for the development of Chinese films
In the past ten years, with the rapid development of China's economy, the continuous growth of the country's overall strength and the steady improvement of its international status, the market position of the mainland as a major film country in the world has been further consolidated, and the development of Chinese films and its main achievements have provided rich experience and enlightenment. We will continue to adhere to the people-centered creative orientation, deepen the creation of high-quality films, and become the conscious awareness and hard work orientation of Chinese filmmakers. First of all, we should continue the spirit of realism, continue to explore and explore new nutrients in the subject matter, avoid suspended and empty content production, and sincerely stand with the film and the audience from the origin of creation, so that the creation is close to the real life and feelings of the public, and satisfies the people's pursuit of a better life. Secondly, it is necessary to effectively realize the creative transformation and innovative development of China's excellent traditional culture in film creation and production, and launch more high-quality films. Thirdly, genre has become an important symbol of the maturity of commercial films, and it is necessary to continue to make efforts at the level of genre to produce more film works with mature genres. Finally, to explore the original kinetic energy in film creation and encourage the production of more original works, in the final analysis, high-quality Chinese film creation is an inevitable requirement to demonstrate cultural self-confidence.
Looking back at the road that Chinese films have come over in the past ten years, from ideology, creation and theory to specific organization and practice, its fruitful achievements and unique contributions undoubtedly show the development trend of Chinese films by leaps and bounds, highlighting the sustainable prosperity of Chinese films, but it is also necessary to see the outstanding problems and shortcomings in the rapid development of mainland films, which are witnesses of the changes of the times. The overall development of films also needs to be accepted by the market, and the issue of film consumption and acceptance cannot be ignored. Some successful experiences have been explored in the marketization exploration of key theme films, but further insight into the accident and development of historical footprints is needed to accurately position the audience. It is necessary to see how to highlight the personality of the characters in film creation, make the story appealing, and grasp the necessity of balancing ideology, artistry and entertainment, and at the same time, strengthen the absorption of the nutrition of excellent traditional Chinese culture and explore the innovative possibilities of traditional cultural elements in films, all of which are important and necessary. Some domestic films have demonstrated their unique cultural charm and cultural tension in many international film festivals, and some have also effectively expanded overseas markets and enhanced the international influence and market competitiveness of Chinese films and Chinese culture, but China's film industry is still far from the forefront of the world.
Looking at the overall development process of the past ten years, remarkable achievements have been made in film creation and production, film artistic expression, academic theory and criticism research, industry construction and other aspects, keeping pace with the times and continuing to promote the development of Chinese films. Establish correct values, national film art competition and cooperation coexist, and content is king and science promotion has become a consensus. Adhering to reform, focusing on "Chineseness", using "China" as a method, accelerating the development of film science and technology, continuing to improve the level of film industrialization and digital transformation, promoting the greater development of original and local film creation and theoretical practice, and building a global film community in the development of history and present, tradition and modernity, art ontology and technology, is the due meaning of the development and construction of films with Chinese characteristics, and it is also the goal that Chinese films in the world need to achieve in the relay run towards the future.
(The author, Ding Yaping, is a distinguished professor at Beijing Film Academy and dean of the Faculty of Arts at Communication University of China)