Bound with Films – 14th BJIFF Tiantan Award Judges' Media Conference Concluded
On April 20, 2024, the Tiantan Award Judges' Media Conference of the 14th Beijing International Film Festival (BJIFF) was held at Langyuan Station in Beijing. The Jury for the Competition Section, Tiantan Award is composed of a president-- Emir Kusturica, a Serbian director, and six members--David White, an Australian film sound designer, Kris Phillips, a Chinese American actor, Jessica Hausner, an Austrian film director, Carlos Saldanha, a Brazilian director, Ma Li, a leading actress from the Chinese mainland, and Zhu Yilong, prominent actor from the Chinese mainland.
Tiantan Award Judges' Media Conference
At the conference, each of them had an in-depth talk with the audience, filmmakers, and media journalists with the respect and love for the art of film in a professional attitude and authoritative perspective.
As a winner at the Festival de Cannes, Berlin International Film Festival, and Venice International Film Festival and two Golden Palm awards, Serbian director Emir Kusturica is definitely a master of the cinema with remarkable achievements an eternal monument in the history of the world's film industry, inspiring young generations to make progress and move forward. While talking about the criteria and experience of judgment, Kusturica said, "For me, it is highly important to capture the emotions of the film. We would see if humanity is sufficiently expressed in the film and be fair and unbiased in our judging and selecting what we think are the best works. Of course, the expression of the values of these works is always at the center of our works, and it is very closely related to the artistry of the film, which is a major concern for us."
Emir Kusturica
As a regular to the world's major film festivals, Kusturica also shared his feelings about the BJIFF with journalists, "I feel very good. We have seen more and more things here, and all the films of BJIFF are of high quality. I'm sure we'll see even more excellent films in the next few days."
On October 6, 1927, the world's first sound film, The Jazz Singer, was screened, marking the beginning of the era of sound films and an important milestone for the art of the cinema towards maturity. Since then, films became the art of sound and images as well as the source of the everlasting charm of the cinema.
David White, an Australian film sound designer, has created a world of sound that seems to be separate from, yet intertwined with, the cinema with his boundless imagination. Speaking of the popularity of his award-winning film Mad Max: Fury Road during its screening at the BJIFF, White said, "I think the story resonates with different cultures around the world, so I am not surprised that it's been very popular in China. There were a lot of interesting things that happened during its 18-month production. We wanted to make the film more appealing to the audience, so we made a lot of sound samples and collected them for 18 months. I believe this can fully demonstrate the authenticity of the sound and make the story more vivid."
David White
As a household name, actor Kris Phillips set off a trend of the era, with his professionalism and dedication. Such professionalism and concentration, as well as his love and persistence of films, brought him the great popularity. Over the years, he has contributed countless surprises to us and expounded to us the rapid development of China’s film industry towards a thriving era through his own experience. When talking about his "expectations of future of domestic films", Kris Phillips said, "I am highly anticipated and confidential about the Chinese films, I think China's film industry has entered a golden stage. There are so many talents, including good directors, good screenwriters, good actors, and most importantly, we have numerous good stories in China. These stories are as new to the audience as the Creation of the Gods, which has never been heard or seen yet. I hope Chinese filmmakers would be more proactive in turning these stories into films and introducing them to the world, so that the world will know more about China."
Kris Phillips
Austrian director Jessica Hausner is no stranger to the audience of the BJIFF. In 2020, she was a guest speaker at the Workshop & Masterclass of the 10th BJIFF, when she gave a lively lecture on pioneering female filmmakers to the fans. Hausner has her unique aesthetic pursuit and value in her works, her own understanding of the problems in the modern society, and her perspective and emotions as a female director. When being quested “whether she would maintain her unique personality for the public and the market”, Hausner replied, "Yes, I will. I will stick to my own style, and that is why I love films. Little Joe and Club Zero are more widely accepted than other films of mine, not because I want to please people, but because I'm upholding my style. You would be more recognized and loved if you have your own style and create unique contents. That's why I love film as a form of art. Through films, I would be able to think better about life and living."
Jessica Hausner
Each and every work of Carlos Saldanha, a Brazilian director, features an open and tolerant mindset that accepts and learns from the cultural essence of different countries and regions as he likes to incorporate them into his works. As a result, his works have been well received by moviegoers around the world. When talking about the Chinese animated films released in recent years and how he viewed the Chinese animation, he said, "If an animated film has a good story, characters, and quality, it would be successful. The Chinese films I watched before are brilliant, especially the characters, scenes, and actions, all of which are highly subtle."
"In addition, we also need to consider how to make our own stories or the history of our nation more interesting and exciting, which is very important. I totally agree with what Kris said about how he feels about Chinese animated films. I believe China’s film industry is entering a golden period, not only for ordinary films, but for animated films as well, and I'm happy about that. I think China has sufficient technologies and talents to achieve the goal."
Carlos Saldanha
As the actress with highest-gross record from the Chinese mainland, Ma Li has portrayed a series of popular comedic roles such as "Ma Dongmei", "Ma Xiaoli", "Mi Lan", and "Ma Lanxing". She recently made a remarkable performance in Zhang Yimou’s realistic masterpiece Article 20 for the portrayal of an ordinary, kind, but "stingy" mother, successfully shifting her image on the films. When asked about how she felt when she was able to portray different roles in a wide range of roles, Ma Li said, "I'm very lucky to have the opportunity to try out different types of works, which makes me very happy. The career as an actress is a learning process, and every production, every team and every collaboration are all opportunities for me to learn. That's why I cherish every film I'm in now. I hope that no matter what type of work comes next, I can work with good performers, good directors, and good teams. I also expect to keep this learning mindset for long."
Ma Li
From Cloudy Mountain and Embrace Again in 2021 to Lighting Up the Stars in 2022, and then to Lost in the Stars in 2023, as well as Only the River Flows and The Great War also in 2023, actor Zhu Yilong has portrayed a number of different characters in such a few years, winning him massive applauses and praises. At this year's BJIFF, Zhu Yilong served as a member of Tiantan Award Jury. When asked "What are the dimensions through which the Best Actor award will be evaluated?", he replied, "It's a great honor to be part of the Jury, and I enjoyed that in the past few days, during which I kept communicating, exchanging, and learning! Speaking of performance, I think being vivid, natural, and unified are the premise. For me, acting should be judged by the sense of proportion, which in the whole performance and the whole film can fully show an actor's comprehensive strength: the understanding of the script, the communication with the director, the communication with the cinematographer, and so on."
Zhu Yilong
At the Tiantan Award Judges' Media Conference, the seven members sincerely shared their understanding of good films and good works with the audience, filmmakers and media, showed their professionalism, dedication and concern, and highlighted the "fairness and impartiality" principle that BJIFF has always adhered to. They also expressed their sense of responsibility and mission to promote cultural exchanges and mutual understanding with BJIFF. All of these aroused the expectations of the audience, filmmakers, and media towards the winners of the Tiantan Award as well as a better future of the Tiantan Award, BJIFF, and the film industry of China and the world!
“Enlightened by Films, United as One”. The BJIFF Tiantan Award will continue to uphold the core value of “Beauty in Variety, Harmony in Diversity” to embrace outstanding works at home and abroad as tied with awards and bound with films to create a bright future in joint efforts.
The final results of the Competition Section, Tiantan Award of the 14th BJIFF will be unveiled at the Closing & Awards Ceremony on April 26, 2024. Let’s look forward to it!
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