First Glance of Light and Shadow: Illuminating the 100 Possibilities of a Filmmaker's Debut Work
For individuals, cinema is a reflection of life experiences, an extension of emotions and real-life dilemmas captured in light and shadow. Its genesis stems from creators' keen observation of personal experiences, and thus, every film debut is born in countless possible ways.
It doesn't rely on the grand and intense naval, land, and air battles of Dunkirk, nor is it confined to the mysterious disappearance of the orange shoes amidst the flames in Burning.
What truly brings a film debut into existence is not solely reliant on funding or production scale; it is always the indispensable insights and fragments from the creator's personal life—for people, and because of people.
With the belief in the infinite possibilities of a debut, the inaugural "Tiantan Sharing Talk" focused on "100 Possibilities for Completing Your First Film." It invited Liu Zhihai, the director of Beyond the Skies and The Beginning, as well as Lin Jianjie, the director of Brief History of A Family, and producer Lou Ying, to engage in conversations and interactions with young filmmakers, sharing their journeys and experiences in making their first films.
Scene from the "Tiantan Sharing Talk – 100 Possibilities for Completing Your First Film" event
▍ How Did 3 Million RMB Make for a War Film?
"Making a film isn't about how much money you can raise; it's about creating miracles with the resources you have at hand." As a teacher at the China Academy of Art, Liu Zhihai has never stopped exploring film aesthetics, pouring these reflections into his first film, Beyond the Skies.
Poster of Beyond the Skies
This is a war film completed with a low budget of 3 million RMB.
What does 3 million RMB mean? It's almost not enough to cover the scene construction costs of most war films.
However, despite its limited budget, Beyond the Skies won three major awards at the 11th Beijing International Film Festival's "Tiantan Awards": Best Film, Best Cinematography, and Best Actor.
Beyond the Skies Won Best Film at the 11th Beijing International Film Festival's "Tiantan Awards"
In Liu Zhihai's view, funding should never be a shackle that constrains creativity; rather, it should serve as a driving force that pushes creators to seek breakthroughs within limitations. He deeply understands that an excellent film does not rely on grand scenes or large-scale production, but rather on its underlying aesthetic style and narrative prowess. Every frame's composition, the use of lighting and shadow, and the control of pacing in the film are all inseparable from his profound understanding of Eastern aesthetics. Through communication and cooperation with local governments, he invested the limited funds into scenes that could maximize the presentation of the film's theme, thereby achieving both cost savings and artistic standards.
▍ How Did a Family Story Go Global?
As we've mentioned, the process of completing a first film involves transforming personal life experiences into genuine expressions on the screen.
This is precisely what Lin Jianjie did, turning his gaze toward familiar life experiences for his debut film. His movie Brief History of A Family explores conflicts and reconciliations within family relationships through a delicate and steady narrative style.
Poster of Brief History of A Family
However, as a director new to filmmaking, Lin faced numerous practical challenges in the early stages of the project - how to find the right producer? How to secure investment for such an artistic film that wasn't necessarily "market-friendly"?
Director Lin Jianjie
Fortunately, Lin Jianjie met producer Lou Ying. During the BJIFF Project Pitches activity, Lou Ying discovered that Brief History of A Family was more of a re-creation based on Lin's observations of life, rather than being confined to his personal experiences, making it a story worth telling to audiences.
Lou Ying mentioned that Lin Jianjie is one of the young directors who has the deepest understanding of the international film festival system and the WIP Project system. Through their joint efforts, Brief History of A Family made its way to international film festivals such as Berlin and Sundance, and at the 14th Beijing International Film Festival's "Forward Future" section, it received two honors: Most Popular Director and Most Popular Artistic Contribution. Their collaboration extends beyond the traditional producer-director relationship; it is a mutual support and fulfillment in creative vision.
Lin Jianjie won the Most Popular Director award at the 14th Beijing International Film Festival's "Forward Future" section for Brief History of A Family.
▍ The River of Film: How to Become a Persistent Creator?
After sharing the starting points of their debut films, the three filmmakers turned the conversation to financing issues. Liu Zhihai introduced the support mechanisms provided by institutions such as the China Academy of Art and Beijing Film Academy for student creations, as well as the subsidy policies of provincial and municipal governments for film projects, offering ideas for young filmmakers to raise funds. Winning awards at the BJIFF provided a significant boost for the films to reach audiences, and the films compensated for the regret of not being released in first-tier cities by selling copyrights and applying for government support.
Director Liu Zhihai
In contrast, Brief History of A Family faced even greater challenges in terms of funding. Producer Lou Ying mentioned that due to financing difficulties, the project's budget was repeatedly reduced during the development process. With support from domestic and international funds, they attended WIP project conferences in Qatar, Doha, Hong Kong, Hainan, and other places, collaborated with international sales companies, and formulated a clear international promotion strategy for the film. Brief History of A Family was unable to apply for government funding during filming, and Lou Ying said that this was an opportunity for transitioning creators to learn about resource management. They hope to better leverage these support policies in the future.
Producer Lou Ying
When discussing new works and future creative plans, Liu Zhihai introduced the film The Beginning, which was released on July 1st, and mentioned the upcoming project There Should Be a Tree in Front of the Mountain. During the scriptwriting phase, Liu Zhihai had numerous exchanges with Director Pema Tseden. Following Director Pema Tseden's passing, Liu Zhihai hopes to develop further the script based on the existing foundation and complete the filming when conditions permit. He also expressed a desire to explore genres he hasn't tackled before, without limiting himself. Lin Jianjie, on the other hand, focuses more on the story itself and doesn't strictly define films as "commercial" or "artistic."
The premiere of the film The Beginning at the 14th Beijing International Film Festival
At the end of the sharing talk, the three filmmakers offered sincere advice to newcomers hoping to enter the film industry. Lou Ying emphasized the importance of psychological preparation and maintaining strong resilience. As a producer, she stressed the need to value and ensure mutual support and growth with the director, and to choose the right partners to work with. Liu Zhihai echoed this sentiment, stating that as a director, one needs to have strong willpower and be ready to dive into the river of cinema. Lin Jianjie, speaking from a creative perspective, shared that creators need to identify the stories they truly want to tell, and once they have, they should use every means possible to bring them to fruition and make them a reality.
The genesis of every film lies in the creator's unique perception of life and capture of emotions. Whether it's Beyond the Skies using Eastern aesthetics to deconstruct war and humanity, or Brief History of A Family delicately portraying the estrangement and reunion of family relationships, their success proves that the value of a film is not measured by its investment scale or production techniques, but rather by each creator's profound insight into life experiences.
As the theme of this "Tiantan Sharing Talk" suggests, there are "a hundred possibilities" to complete a first film. Regardless of the approach chosen, what truly matters is finding the "inner motivation" that drives you during creation, allowing your first work to become a heartfelt dialogue between the director, oneself, and the world.
The "Tiantan Sharing Talk" aims to invite Chinese and foreign filmmakers who have served as judges for the "Tiantan Award" as well as BJIFF award winners to share their film creation journeys. In the future, the Beijing International Film Festival will continue to hold the "Everlasting BJIFF" series of events, closely following the development of young filmmakers, supporting the prosperous development of China's film industry, forward together with filmmakers.