Pingtan in October, still with the residual temperature of summer, the sea breeze blows strongly, and the sound of the waves is still the same. On the evening of October 13, the 4th IM Cross-Strait Youth Film Festival ended perfectly on the beach in Pingtan.
The fourth edition means that this is a journey of starting again. The theme of this year's film festival is "From This Moment", and the three-day film festival brings together young filmmakers from all over the world to the coast of the East China Sea to make films with a common dream. A total of 2,264 entries were received in the main competition unit of this year's film festival, and 256 projects were also received in the feature film track "Endless Growth Plan". In the context of the sluggish box office of theatrical films, these two figures are particularly precious. The IM Cross-Strait Youth Film Festival is pleased to witness the growth of serious content creators, and always believes that film is the presentation of video art, and it is the resonance and inheritance of generations of filmmakers and audiences.
In this year's film festival, the well-known director and screenwriter Zhang Aijia served as the chairman of the jury, and together with Marco · Muller, Zhou Xinxia, Chen Lingzhen, Wang Yu and other filmmakers, a heavyweight final jury team was formed. This year's film festival also carefully set up more than 10 activities such as film screenings, tutor open classes, film forums, training camps, proposal conferences, and 72-hour extreme shooting, building a bridge of two-way interaction between the film industry, festivals and creators through a variety of ways.
From the first "Every Wave Goes to the Island", to the second "Towards the Sea Breeze, Wild Growth" and the third "What if the Wind is Big", and then to this year's "From This Moment", the IM Cross-Strait Youth Film Festival has been accompanying young filmmakers all the way to pursue their dreams, building a stage for them to show their youth, enthusiasm and talent, and also witnessing the growth of new forces in Chinese films.
This moment, a new beginning
The theme of this year's IM Cross-Strait Youth Film Festival is "From This Moment", and this year is a new starting point for both creators and film festivals. "This is a place where many young directors have taken off, and in the past five years, we have witnessed many outstanding young directors on both sides of the strait being affirmed on a bigger stage." Hong Lei, founder of the IM Cross-Strait Youth Film Festival and vice chairman of Fujian Radio, Film and Television Group, said that the IM Cross-Strait Youth Film Festival has become "the first choice for young film and television creators on both sides of the strait".
"From this moment on", it ignited the movie dream in the hearts of young people from all over the world
"Five years ago, with a simple wish, we founded the IM Cross-Strait Youth Film Festival. To put it plainly, this wish is to hope that IM can become a must-attend film festival for Chinese college students around the world with film dreams. On their first day of school, they can start thinking, 'Can I make a film in my sophomore or junior year and participate in IM?' Hong Lei bluntly said that this is not only about the influence of IM, but also about whether IM can truly become an important witness for young filmmakers to embark on the road of image creation.
Now, has that wish come true?
Every year, Hong Lei hears feedback like, "This time it's better." And the evaluation of "better" also has a more specific and intuitive explanation. Since the past 4 years, IM has received a total of 6,684 entries, and the creators come from more than 400 colleges and universities. The number of films submitted by colleges and universities in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macao has increased year by year, with a total of more than 600 films. In the first three sessions of IM, a total of 9.4 million yuan was awarded, which directly supported dozens of young directors to continue their creation.
From October 11th to 13th this year, the 4th IM Cross-Strait Youth Film Festival was held in Pingtan City, Fujian Province, and a total of 342 universities and 2,264 short film works were registered, an increase of 415 compared with the previous session, and the coverage and number of films hit a record high in the four sessions. Among them, 91.2% of the main creative group is the new generation of filmmakers born after 95, and many of the shortlisted works are the director's first works.
Hu Yinghai, the photographer of "Ants", took the stage to accept the award on behalf of the creative team
In the end, Wei De'an, a young director from Beijing Film Academy, won the highest honor "Kirin Best Film" at this year's IM Cross-Strait Youth Film Festival. Young director You Zhijie from Taiwan University of the Arts won the Kirin Jury Award for his work "Four Animals and Six Ways", and Hao Binjie, a young director from Lu Xun Academy of Fine Arts, won the Kirin Best Director for his work "Bald Sheep".
Hao Binjie, director of "Bald Goat" and Lu Xun Academy of Fine Arts, won the Kirin Best Director
In the short film "Ants", director Wei De'an boldly uses dance and physical dialogue to present a heart-wrenching story that is interlocking and full of surprises. Photographer Hu Yinghai, who took the stage to accept the award on behalf of the creative team, said excitedly on the stage: "The financial pressure on the preparation of the feature film has been lifted!" ”
The short film "Four Sacrifices and Six Ways" is a thought-provoking social comedy with strong irony, criticism, and metaphor. Director You Zhijie, who is holding the trophy, expressed the bitterness of young filmmakers, "This film is presented from the perspective of a dash cam, and it is difficult to schedule. It was raining during the shooting, and we walked more than 30 kilometers of mountain roads, which was particularly hard. I have been making movies for more than ten years, hard but not painful, thanks to my friends along the way. ”
Zhang Aijia, chairman of the jury of the 4th IM Cross-Strait Youth Film Festival, was with young people
During the festival, 50 works shortlisted for the main competition unit were screened, and young creators responded to the confusion and hope of youth from their own unique perspectives. From the vast majority of the shortlisted short films that are close to or even more than 30 minutes long, Zhang Aijia, the chairman of the jury, can clearly feel the strong "ambition" of the main creators - they all have their own feature film dreams. From the initial surprise to the current surprise, especially the surprise that there are so many talented and potential directors on both sides of the strait, she encourages young creators to continue to draw nourishment from narrative dramas, novels, and operas, and bravely express their emotions in different ways.
Let the creator's feature film journey go further
"In five years, the IM Cross-Strait Youth Film Festival has come to the fourth session. If the first three editions were a starting point for young creators to realize their dreams, then this edition, we will be committed to using more ways to make them go further and more steadily. Hong Lei said with emotion.
Since 2021, under the guidance of the Fujian Provincial Film Bureau, IM has joined hands with CNEX to create the "Endless Growth Plan", which is committed to the development and support of young directors' first feature films. This year, the Endless Growth Program has relaxed the status limit for participants from "college students" to "under the age of 35", and increased the total prize amount to more than 300,000 yuan.
It is reported that a total of 256 feature film projects were selected this year, and the 10 projects that stood out from them were guided by a number of industry mentors, and faced a team of decision-makers from Huaxia Film, Happy Twist, Hehe Pictures, Ali Pictures, Infinite Freedom, Wanda Pictures, Station B, iQiyi and other film production and distribution institutions.
At the proposal conference, young creators elaborated on their projects. The love theme "My Second-hand Lover" starts from the fake marriage story of a couple of unmarried men and women, and explores social reality topics such as consumerism and the dilemma of young people's marriage and love. The suspense genre film "Golf" is a story about women proving their innocence, focusing on women's growth and plight. The children's film "Good Boy, Bad Child" focuses on young children studying abroad, with a novel perspective. The non-feature film "Our Family" records the migration of a family in the past 30 years under the background of the immigration wave in the 80s of the 20th century, and is a real image sample of "one family on both sides of the strait". "The narrative should be more prominent in the main contradictions." "Documentary films should not only be for individuals and families, but also for going out and seeing the world...... In the sharp comments of decision-makers, young creators continue to absorb nutrients for growth.
In the "Endless Life" tutor class, the well-known editor Liao Qingsong's sharing was full of dry goods
Liao Qingsong, a well-known producer and editor in Taiwan, participated in the "Endless Growth Plan" as a mentor. He was amazed at the rapid growth of young creators in just two or three days, from all kinds of flaws at the beginning to a new transformation, Liao Qingsong "didn't know which one to choose". He said that he was very happy to see that IM has made such a big effort to support young film and television creators on both sides of the strait, and he also looks forward to more young creators coming with their works to create a "cross-strait film and television library".
What is gratifying is that last year's "Endless Growth Plan" preferred proposal "The Garden of Divergent Paths" has been filed by the Fujian Provincial Film Bureau, guided by the Fujian Provincial Film Bureau, and jointly produced by Fujian Film Studio Co., Ltd. and Pingtan Comprehensive Experimental Zone Cultural Tourism Development Group Co., Ltd. and Changying Times Media Co., Ltd., which is also the first film work incubated by the IM talent cultivation system.
On the afternoon of the 12th, at the launching ceremony of the film, director Jiang Baiting was very moved. IM has witnessed "The Garden of Divergent Paths" all the way from short film to feature film, and also witnessed her growth as a young director, "IM has given me a lot of guidance on what the market is and how to deal with my first film. Jiang Baiting wants to say to all young directors: "Do what you want, the only person in the world who can stop you from realizing your dreams is yourself." ”
Wu Zengxian, deputy general manager of Fujian Film Studio Co., Ltd., said that the IM Cross-Strait Youth Film Festival has tapped many potential projects and film talents. "This cooperation is not only a recognition of IM's preferred projects, but also a common exploration of the talent incubation system." As a senior film educator, director Xie Fei believes that the future of short film creation must be directed to feature films, and young people practice their creative skills through short films to lay a good foundation for future feature films.
Answer questions and help from senior filmmakers
Escorting the growth of young people with professional guidance is what the IM Cross-Strait Youth Film Festival has always insisted on. Four open classes, four film forums, Liao Qingsong, Yang Chao, Huang Maochang, Huang Xufeng, Xie Fei, Wei Desheng, Xu Xiaoming and other senior film and television seniors, face-to-face communication with young filmmakers, answer questions.
This year is the second time that film educator and director Xie Fei has come to Pingtan . Over the years, Xie Fei has been concerned about the growth of young directors. In his opinion, honing film skills through short films is a necessary foundation for the road to directing, "Without three excellent short films, it is difficult to move towards feature film creation." Facing the young and hot faces, Xie Fei couldn't help but sigh, "Today's young directors are happier than we were back then, and now everyone can shoot videos with their mobile phones, and audio-visual writing has become as convenient as text writing." ”
Film educator and director Xie Fei has always paid attention to the growth of young filmmakers
At the age of 82, Xie Fei did not forget to remind young people to embrace the times, "The market faced by young directors is not only cinemas, but also TV and the Internet. Talking about how young creators cultivate "internal strength", Xie Fei bluntly said that film and television creation is a process of constantly accumulating experience, and young people should constantly improve their cultural accomplishment. Zhang Aijia also believes that "young people are lucky that they can participate in more and more film festivals, and film festivals are the best way for young people to enter the film industry." She encourages young people to be experimental, think for themselves, and find different ways to tell stories.
"The most important thing in making a film is how to find yourself." In the tutor's open class, Huang Xufeng, founder, CEO and chief producer of Factory Gate Pictures, gave a speech on the theme of "All the secrets of movies are in the script", and he put forward the view that "movies are born in the script first" with his own experience in starting a film and television company and his understanding of films. He believes that it is only through writing a script that one can know the details of the film's structure and the essence of the film.
Director and screenwriter Geng Jun is an old friend of the IM Cross-Strait Youth Film Festival. This year, he came to Pingtan again as a review judge. Geng Jun is very pleased to see that the themes of this year's shortlisted short films are becoming more and more diverse, and the shooting techniques are also more mature. In Geng Jun's eyes, activities such as screenings, creative sharing, and endless training camps provide a stage for young creators to excel. "Every creator is lonely, and participating in the film festival can hold each other together and share the difficulties, confusion and joy of creation." He hopes that young people will be braver, bolder, and more trusting in their creations, and express their true selves through images.
The two-way rush of film and television on both sides of the strait
In the past five years, the IM Cross-Strait Youth Film Festival has realized the two-way travel of young film and television creators on both sides of the strait. It is reported that this film festival has a total of 137 works from Taiwan, of which 9 works are shortlisted for the top 50, and Taiwan University of the Arts has become the Taiwan university with the most film applications for four consecutive years.
In addition to inviting director Zhang Aijia to serve as the chairman of the main competition unit of short films, a number of Taiwan well-known filmmakers such as Xu Xiaoming, a representative of Taiwan new and new films, editor Liao Qingsong, Oscar documentary selection committee member Chen Lingzhen, director Wei Desheng, producer Huang Maochang, and actors Wu Kangren and Zhang Rongrong also came here to have in-depth discussions with mainland filmmakers during the event, opening a window for cross-strait film and television cultural exchanges.
In addition, the IM "Youth Screening" activity, which was mainly carried out by young students and held continuously in nearly 300 colleges and universities on both sides of the strait, covering more than 150,000 people, as well as a series of activities such as "Partner Night", "Island Concert" and "Dialogue on the Future", radiated the energy of the convergence and collision of ideas to a broader and far-reaching level, injecting a fresh youthful background into cross-strait film and television exchanges.
Every one of you is an IM, and every one of you who is brave enough to pursue your dreams is a luminous body
Since the IM Cross-Strait Youth Film Festival was held in Pingtan City, the unique style of this island city has had a wonderful resonance with the youthful vitality of the film festival. The sea breeze in Pingtan brings infinite inspiration; The wave of Pingtan has witnessed the setting sail of countless movie dreams. At present, the integration of culture and tourism is an important starting point for promoting the high-quality development of the industry, and the film and television industry, which is regarded as the big IP of cultural tourism, has become the focus of attention and support for the development of Pingtan from top to bottom.
Chen Xunming, member of the Party Working Committee and deputy director of the Management Committee of Pingtan Comprehensive Experimental Zone, introduced that Pingtan relies on natural, policy and humanistic advantages to serve the majority of film and television practitioners in Lailan (the abbreviation of Pingtan) with the innovation and integration of all aspects. In May 2015, the Pingtan Area of the China (Fujian) Pilot Free Trade Zone was officially launched, with a total investment of more than 350 billion yuan in infrastructure over the past decade. Pingtan has the largest film and television base in East China and the largest XR virtual shooting location in Asia. Relevant film and television support policies have attracted more than 500 film and television enterprises to settle in, and more than 200 films and variety shows have come to Pingtan for filming......
"Starting from scratch to create a film festival that radiates Chinese youth around the world - we don't want to hide such ambitions. But the word 'better' is never just a compliment, for a young film festival, this evaluation means countless steps forward, and it also indicates a huge room for growth. In this rapidly changing image era, we know that only by insisting on independent expression, pluralistic symbiosis, and facing the future can we live up to trust and expectations. Hong Lei said.
The 4th IM Cross-Strait Youth Film Festival came to an end in Pingtan slowly, but the grand event belonging to young filmmakers is not over, just like the theme of this film festival "From this moment on", the infinite love for film art will still inspire them to continue to pursue their dreams.
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