Director Ling Lingling admitted that she was surprised at first when she learned about her debut film. unknown specieshas been selected into the first frame competition unit of this year’s FIRST International Film Festival.
After all, she says, the film – a languid reflection on life as a modern single mother – was shot in three days on a shoestring budget, with a cast composed of friends from Songzhuang, the arts hub of northern China.
Speaking on the sidelines of China’s leading annual independent film community gathering, held in central Xining in the shadow of the Tibetan Plateau, the director said the film was born out of a community “passionate about creation”.
“Most of the major contributors are friends who help out for free — some are artists, some are salaried workers, some are students,” she said. “I have no formal training in filmmaking, but I love telling stories. I spend a lot of time developing my scripts, but I leave plenty of room for improvisation on the details. At this stage, I often choose the everyday Interesting and familiar non-professional actors in their lives. I might even tailor the characters to suit their needs, and some of the characters in my stories are essentially playing themselves.
The truth of the matter is unknown species This unique competition is in line with the image of First Frame, given that it was established in 2021 with the support of French luxury brand Chanel, with the specific aim of finding, selecting and promoting unique Chinese stories by or about Chinese women.
“Ling Ling Ling,” a discreet and mature debut novel, expresses the daily concerns of a single mother in her 30s through conversations over lunch, dinner or casual drinks at a local bar. Stylistically, it harkens back to the beginnings of the Mumblecore movement in American independent cinema in the early 2000s. In essence, it is very suitable for contemporary Chinese audiences, focusing on the thoughts and emotions of the era it represents.
The First Frame lineup offers an appropriately diverse range of projects, with its mission statement saying the competition “aims to encourage creative depictions of female characters and themes and gender-related themes” while exploring “intrinsic issues of identity, lived experience, and gender.” .
Given that Chinese film industry pundits claim that female moviegoers will account for 58% of box office receipts in 2023, this is a meaningful competition both in terms of their due representation and from a purely commercial perspective.
“Women are playing an increasingly important role in the Chinese film industry, and significant progress has been made in both the shaping of female characters and the opportunities provided to female filmmakers,” Ling Lingling said. “Despite these advances, women in the film industry still face challenges such as gender bias, career advancement restrictions, and incidents of sexual harassment. Overall, women’s status and opportunities in the Chinese film industry are improving, but there are still significant gaps and room for progress.
Much of the hype surrounding this year’s first frame segment involves the inclusion of unstoppableXu Huijing’s latest documentary takes an up-close look at the life (and grueling training) of China’s popular mixed martial arts world champion Zhang Weili. It performed to a packed audience and officially won the major First Frame Award at a ceremony held on Saturday night.
Given Xu’s track record – he was the winner of FIRST’s first Best Documentary Award and Audience Awardfourth place 2020 edition of his student baseball documentary difficult — and the sheer drama of the fighting game, the film’s strength is almost unimaginable. Given The Power’s popularity and the fact that the world’s leading MMA league, the Ultimate Fighting Championship, has an estimated 625 million viewers worldwide, the film is sure to quickly attract the attention of international distributors.
But surprising qualities are also found in smaller lights. In addition to Ling Lingling’s impressive debut, the festival’s mainly young audience was also impressed by Frankenfish on the riverA quirky drama about living life with a broken heart and turning to friends for support.
Debut director Chen Yusha incorporates animation into the drama, once again making it clear who the audience is. “I particularly like films that bring me multiple, intense and complex emotions,” the director said. “I feel like it’s exploring the boundaries of sensitivity. My own film, while still very immature, I believe I’m trying to do that. I hope it evokes multiple emotions in the audience.
Chen said being selected for the first frame unit is “a great encouragement and affirmation of women’s professional abilities.”
“I believe that female roles in Chinese films are diversifying, and more outstanding female filmmakers are gradually being recognized,” Chen added. “However, there is still a need to enrich the spiritual world, image and personality of different female characters – and this requires industry support.”
