There are always opportunities for people who have dreams and artistic pursuits.
Editor’s note: This article is from WeChat public account “Rhinoceros Entertainment” (ID :piaofangtoushijing), author of the island, editor, Park Fang is authorized to publish.
The debate about Golden Horse has not stopped for a few days.
In the morning of August 7, the National Film Bureau sent a message: Suspending mainland films and personnel to participate in the 56th Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival in 2019. The following day, it was revealed that a number of film companies in Hong Kong cancelled their participation in the Golden Horse Awards. Some film companies will mainly participate in the Golden Rooster and Hundred Flowers Film Festival held on the same day.
For a time, the Golden Horse Award and Chairman of the Board of Directors, Ang Lee, fell into a new “dark moment.”
Director Ang Lee
The reason why it is “new” is because at the 55th Golden Horse Awards ceremony last year, a documentary filmer released political remarks on the podium, which made Li Anzhen sitting under the stage. No, it’s a bitter smile. Since that day, whether mainland films and filmmakers can participate in this year’s Golden Horse Award has become a tacit conjecture in the film and television industry, which continues to this day.
The day when the official announcement of the “answer” is really shocking. After all, as the most authoritative, grandest and most inclusive film platform in the Chinese-speaking region, the Golden Horse Awards in the course of more than 50 years of development, for Taiwan. The development of the entire Chinese-language film has important impetus. The absence of some films from the mainland and Hong Kong is undoubtedly a big blow to this Golden Horse Award.
For film and television people, it is regrettable that they cannot participate in the Golden Horse Award. Many excellent works and directors, actors and behind-the-scenes workers deserve to stand on the larger podium for recognition, but now they are due to external factors. It is a great pity for the creators to lose an important score on the resume.
A lot of young directors and independent film creators, who can’t go to Golden Horse, may lose the precious “golden” opportunities in their lives. This of course is not only about fame and status, but also about whether more opportunities and funds can be obtained to sustain the investment in the subsequent creation.
The Golden Horse Awards are cold, and the creators are lost. This year, this “Golden Horse” is really like the gloomy atmosphere on the poster, and enters the dark night.
From Bi Wei to Hu Bo:The young directors who won the Golden Horse Awards
The Golden Horse Award, which was in the midst of controversy last year, still showed a warm scene: When Li An announced that “The Elephant Sit on the Sea” to get the best feature film, the film production team members left tears. These tears contain bitterness, excitement, sadness and sadness. Unfortunately, director Hu Bo himself could not come to the scene to receive the prize. 401 days ago he ended his 29-year-old life with a rope.
Director Hu Bo
In the case of “Shadow”, “I am not a drug god” and other strong films, this four-hour independent film has been highlighted. This is not only an affirmation of the creation of young directors, but also for Hu Bo. The best recognition of the director who has the ability to think and dare to speak, this is almost impossible to see in the film festivals in the Mainland.
In fact, this is not the first time Golden Horse has awarded the grand prize to the young director. At the 53rd Golden Horse Awards in 2016, Zhang Dalei’s independent film “August” defeated “I am not Pan Jinlian” and “Tree Big Tend” and other films. When the 34-year-old Zhang Dalei came to power, he accidentally sipped the chewing gum and could only rush into his pocket.
Director Zhang Dalei
Golden Horse gave more chances to “August”, and soon the film boarded the theater and won more than 4 million box office. Although this number is not high, it is a rare victory for such a small-cost independent film with no star and propaganda. Zhang Dalei also has the opportunity to shoot his second feature film “Blue Train”. And please go to the famous actor Hai Qing.
Among the young directors who came out of the Golden Horse, Bi Wei should be the best. At the 52nd Golden Horse Awards, he won the best new director with “Roadside Picnic” and quickly became one of the youngest domestic directors. Not only did he have more funds and support to shoot “The Last Night of the Earth”, but also with the film. Shortlisted in Cannes, boarded the theater, and refreshed the literary film with 282 million box officerecord.
Director Bi Chen
Fame and financial support are important, but coming to Jinma to communicate with predecessors is a valuable asset. Bi Wei won the favor of Zhang Aijia, the chairman of the Executive Committee at that time. Not only did he help a lot in the fundraising of the film, but I also participated in the friendship. It can be seen that Jinma’s support for young directors is very large.
Golden horses can’t go now, do young directors still have a way out? Maybe only by FIRST.
From FIRST to Golden Horse:The development path of young directors in recent years
In the FIRST, and then go to the gold to make a big splash, it seems to have become the successful mode of the young directors in recent years.
Starting from the Golden Horse Awards film in August, FIRST became the “new outpost on both sides of the plateau”. Every year, there are several films that come out of FIRST, and they are nominated for the Golden Horse’s important awards. . Awards such as “The Elephant Sit on the Ground” are not subject to quota restrictions, and can even be directly released in Taiwan, and finally harvested good box office results.
In addition to these two, “Heart Labyrinth”, “Blizzard is coming”, “Four Springs”, “Old Beast”, “Birds in the Suburbs”, “Prisoner”, “Stupid Bird”, “Johnny Keck”, “Chuan Liuzhi” The FIRST films such as the Island have also been successfully selected as important awards for the Golden Horse. This is a great affirmation for the young directors who directed the feature films for the first time.
But this year’s FIRST will undoubtedly face the embarrassing situation of internal and external troubles.
Internal worry refers to the huge controversy in the course of FIRST this year. The staff abducted the audience’s comments, the closing film “Parasite” was cancelled due to “technical reasons”, and the awarding guests made a speech on the actress at the closing ceremony. The atmosphere and style of the film festival have become more and more impetuous, even deviating from the film itself.
The external problem naturally refers to stopping the impact of the Golden Horse on the film, according to the previously established path.This year’s several award-winning films are fully qualified to be included in the Golden Horse. Jinma is also open and welcoming to these young directors’ films. Now this road is blocked. What are the follow-ups of these films? Think about it.
Behind the young directors, it is actually the change of the pattern of independent films in the Mainland in recent years. With the influx of capital and the segmentation of the audience of literary films, the authors of stylized authors are constantly emerging and participating in the International Film Festival. It is no longer the old faces, the censorship and the market are still traversing the creators, but the value of the works is gradually emerging.
FIRST and Jinma have different evaluation systems, but they are very inclusive for young directors. This is not an accident for FIRST, a “wild child” who is still in the growth stage, but Jinma is such a god. The elders are willing to absorb more fresh blood and strength, which indeed reflects the chest and temperament of an international film festival.
The inability to participate in the Golden Horse is indeed a great regret and loss for mainland independent films and young directors.
Do not go to Golden Horse,Are there opportunities for young directors and independent films?
Of course, not only film festivals such as Jinma and FIRST are assisting and exploring. In recent years, independent films in mainland China have gradually formed a production and declaration system, and a small number of companies specializing in art films and author films have appeared. And more and more film and television head companies have begun to pay attention to the training and support of newcomers and independent films.
For example, “The Roadside Picnic”, “August”, “Northern Sky” and other films are produced by Aiqiyi Pictures or have the copyright of the online platform. They have achieved good communication effects in the literature and art institutes. The “Iqiyi Original Film Project” was also launched for young creators.
Alibaba Entertainment has launched the “Fire Plan” to further integrate the Ali Film “A Plan”, Youku “Youth Director Support Program” and “Early Bird Plan”, and the talent plan after the opening of Ali Entertainment After the upgrade, the filming of “The Old Beast”, “At the Pier”, “Chasing and Trace” and other films benefited from the support of Ali.
Tencent’s film industry has NEXT IDEA youth film and television talent program, “Spring Rattan Film Workshop”, “Shallot Program”, etc., all dedicated to the exploration of young talents, and also attaches great importance to the new director’s project, science fiction movie “Tuo “Stars” and the “Animal World” that have already been released are new types of attempts by cutting-edge directors, which are refreshing.
In this way, even if the road of the Golden Horse is lost, the other roads will not pass.
Overall, mainland movies and filmmakers can’t go to the Golden Horse Awards, which will have some impact on young filmmakers, but it is not absolute. Now more giants in the industry are needed to give young filmmakers the opportunity to let more independent film masters enter the audience’s field of vision, and provide this extremely small film circle with a broader development path in the industry, which will encourage more Many people bravely create.
And young filmmakers have to calm their minds. The recent box office word-of-mouth harvest of “Where the Devil’s Angels Comes into the World” is a good example. Although it may be a bit vulgar to talk about the box office, it is indeed a measure of the director. One of the important criteria for creative ability, and behind the birth of the explosion, is the hard work of the creators for several years.
After all, one person pays, one reward, and those who have dreams and artistic pursuits, there will always be opportunities to shine.