With the innovation of ideas and the progress of technology, film schools all over the world have been enriched in the theoretical construction and creative practice of documentaries. Focusing on the essential attribute of "reality", documentaries increasingly present various aspects.

 

The camera should be like a fly on the wall watching from the wall, presenting reality and opening up the space for interpretation to the public, or taken as a weapon to throw down the anchor point of judgment at the right time in the seemingly neutral documentary, so as to continuously ask and express.

 

Watching the selected films in this year's “Beijing Film Panorama - Truth First” section, let us follow the creators to uncover the "truth" through various interpretation ways.

 

 

A work of art cannot be interpreted without understanding its creator, and we never cease to be curious about the person behind it.

 

 

Fellini's beloved and trusted director and his "hidden camera" delves into the mysterious world of light and shadow in the film giant's studio 5 in Rome's Cineplex. This is the playground of Fellini's magic and the scene of the film's magic.

 

Everything that happened 40 years ago in the magical scenes of Casanova, City of Women, And the Ship Sails On, and so on, has been recorded and delivered to today's audience.

 

In the film, many filmmakers who worked with Fellini appear. It reflects on what it was like to make a film with Fellini. Fellini taught Mastroianni and Masina, worked with photographers, and galloped around the studio like a kid with his beloved Mitchell camera...A wealth of oral history and on-set insights have been combined into an invaluable archive of film history, which are irretrievable photographic memories that allow us to revisit unseen moments behind the big screen.

 

 

At the end of the twentieth century, Stanislavski was introduced to mainland audiences with his work An Actor Prepares in Stephen Chow's nonsensical masterpiece King of Comedy. “Stanislavski” is now known as a synonym for experiential acting theory.

 

The documentary Stanislavski: Lust for Life tells the story behind one of the 20th century's greatest dramatists -- how his profound acting system has influenced contemporary theater directors and actors through time and has become immortal. 

When the screen lights up, come for the baptism of the “grandmaster”.

 

Peony Pavilion in Renaissance records how literary master Pai Hsien-Yung has spared no effort for decades to promote the revival of Chinese Kunqu opera culture.

 

Director Teng Yung-Shing focuses on Pai Hsien-Yung's field interviews at Suzhou Kunqu Opera House, intersperses with the views of various kunqu opera artists, and recordings of stage tours and scenery of Suzhou gardens. The picture, set and lighting of the film is extremely exquisite, with Kunqu opera actors standing in a corner of the garden, and each expression in their eyes, each movement of long sleeves and elegant and charming posture captured by the camera. The film is sectioned by the lines of Peony Pavilion, with voice-in and voice-over echoing each other.

 

We are intoxicated by the elegant charm and emotional appeal of the south of the Yangtze River, and applauded for the sincerity of the artists to inherit the traditional culture!

 

In addition to providing a biography for the artist to explore the emotional connection and inner world of the individual, the artist will also turn the shots of recording to the observation and description of social groups.

 

 

The new Silver Bear winner of the Berlin International Film Festival, Mr. Bachmann and His Class has a staggering running time of three and a half hours, making it one of the most must-see films in the Beijing Film Panorama section.

 

Director Maria Speth spends two years following a group of German students and their teacher Bachmann. The group, aged between 12 and 14 and from 12 different countries, turns a classroom into a multicultural battle ground. As a teacher, Mr. Bachmann does not abuse his power as an arbiter. Instead, he navigates thorny social issues, such as race, gender and immigration, like a documentary version of Les choristes.

 

 

Acasa, My Home focuses on a gypsy family living outside Bucharest, Romania. 

A father, wife and nine children are born on the boundary between modern civilization and the wilderness, threatened by the wild beasts of the natural world and worried about the coming control of the city. The family survives in the wilderness in the first half of the film and is trapped in a concrete forest in the second half.

 

Journalist-turned-director Radu Ciorniciuc shows surprising scheduling skills in his documentary debut. The picture and composition of the film are quite exquisite. The slash-and-burn life in the foreground is set against the high-rise buildings in the background, combined with the constantly changing plight of the family, showing the complex polysemy -winning the World Documentary Award for Best Cinematography at the 36th Sundance Film Festival.

 

 

In the secret forests of northern Italy, a group of elderly people often risk their lives with their hounds in search of the white Alba truffle, the prized ingredient on the tables of the rich in the West, in exchange for a daily meal.

 

When buyers turn around and deliver truffles to the market for ten times the purchase price, we seem to see the fate of the bottom hunters being exploited by greedy deals. 

However, Truffle Hunters doesn't get bogged down in a heavy tone. On the other hand, bright cinematography and light make the old men who like to talk in the pub so cute, and the director even sets a shot directly on the hound to give the audience a more intuitive sense of the speed and passion of truffle hunting.

 

 

Rediscover the mystery of the characters with images revisit the historical scene with pictures. On the one hand, the documentary's documentary value lies in the capture of the transient and unrepeatable current and historical scenes. On the other hand, it can also complete the rumination of historical scenes and reflection on the present in the display of old and new images.

 

 

The Epicentro is a new production by the international award-winning Hubert Supe. The hand-held lens allows viewers to take a dizzying view of Cuba and to focus on the realities of post-colonial Cuba's underclass. The film has won the 36th Sundance Jury Prize.

　　

Oona Castilla Chaplin, granddaughter of the great comedian Charlie Chaplin, also makes an appearance in the film. Professional actors and fictional plots provide the film with a strong sense of subjective, making the boundary between real and virtual become more ambiguous and unique.

 

 

In 2014, the remains of 437 volunteers of the Chinese People's Volunteer Army returned home after more than 60 years away from the motherland. Seventy-one years ago, those young soldiers went to the battlefield for the war to resist U.S. aggression and aid Korea. Some came back, while others died there.

 

Remembering 1950 takes a fresh look at ordinary young people who participated in the war to resist U.S. aggression and aid Korea 71 years ago. The film presents their once passionate youth and dreams with simple and subtle words via actual narration of veterans from different services in different eras, and restores the most real battlefield, bringing shock and resonance to contemporary young people.

 

The best way to remember is not to forget. Remembering 1950 adopts the shots to record precious national memories and pay tribute to those who safeguarded the country.

 

Look for the image of reality, and experience all kinds of life. Please stay tuned on Beijing Film Panorama for more wonderful moments.