Chen Kexin: The most terrible thing about the censorship system is not itself, but self-censorship

"There are some movies I don't like or even hate, but they have achieved amazing box office results. And it doesn't matter. It will only expand the box office and give me broader space to do what I want to do."

Original title: Chen Kexin: I can't pretend to make a very mainland movie. The

52 -year-old director Chen Kexin was born in Hong Kong, spent most of his childhood in Thailand, and completed his film studies in Los Angeles. Despite his very international background, Chan considers himself a true Hong Kong filmmaker. His films include "Sweet Honey"(1996), which tells the story of mainlanders who emigrated to Hong Kong, and the musical "If, Love"(2005) set in the mainland. "No matter what the theme of the movie is, the Hong Kong plot in my body will not change." Chan Kexin, who lives in Hong Kong, admitted in a telephone interview,"I can't pretend to be a mainlander or make a very mainlander movie. I will always maintain a Hong Kong perspective on this and be a bystander or a storyteller."

In the past few years, Chan Kexin has made several films in cooperation with mainland China, such as the recent film "Dear"(2014). Starring mainland actors Huang Bo and Zhao Wei, the film tells the story of a couple looking for their kidnapped son. The film also analyzes the moral issues caused by the reunion of relatives. Last weekend, Director Chen's company "We Pictures" announced that its new film would focus on another mainland figure-the tennis star, Li Na, the only Asian woman to win the women's singles championship in a Grand Slam event. Production will begin this year and is expected to be released in 2016. During the interview, Director Chen talked about Li Na, the changes in the tastes of China movie audiences, how to deal with film censorship and China's influence on Hollywood.

At  the 2014 Australia Open in Melbourne, China tennis star Li Na was practicing her serve, and she will be the subject of Chen Kexin's next film.

Why shoot Li Na?

Not just because of tennis, but more importantly, its impact on a generation. The post-80s generation is a crucial generation to China. It is time to tell the story of the post-80s generation. This generation can reflect the changing scene of today's China society. The sensitivity of the 1980s determines that they are different from traditional China values. China is a society that values the collective, emphasizing more organization, society and the country than individuals. The post-80s generation is the "self" generation. Whether it is "China Partner" or "Dear", Li Na is very different from the characters in other films. She has a distinctive personality and you can't classify her as a certain type of person because she looks unusual no matter what group she is in. This is a typical young generation in China. They don't want to follow others.

What is the focus of the film?

The film will cover most of her life experiences, and it is impossible to talk about this character without understanding the background. However, it may not be filmed completely in chronological order, and there should be some temporal intersperses. We will present her childhood and childhood experiences such as the death of her father as a teenager. She will definitely showcase her two most important games, two Grand Slams and her life during that time.

People only see her success, she independently runs her own business and life and won honors, but few people know the story of her experience. In fact, she lost a lot of money in the first few years. I believe that without her husband, Mr. Jiang Shan, she could not have achieved so many achievements. Their relationship is crucial, and this is also our focus.

Who will play Li Na?

I don't know. I will use real news clips, but I will also find an actor to play her, which means that in the film you will see the real Li Na and the actress playing Li Na. This is indeed a challenge, but it should not be a problem because doing so can increase the authenticity of the film.

The film "Dear" focuses on the problem of child trafficking in China. What is your interest in this?

I saw that story in a news documentary, and it can be said that most of the content of the film is based on facts. Of course, there are also some elements that we make up. But what I am really interested in is not the issue of child trafficking, but the story behind it. There are many layers to a society, and the film not only focuses on parents who have lost their children, but also tells what happens after finding their children. This is not common.

You will find that there is another side to the whole story. The children were not kidnapped by professional traffickers, but the husbands of a certain character in the play. Therefore, the audience will see both sides of the story. Both pairs of parents raised the kidnapped child. The film is therefore dualistic. You will see a balance between justice and law.

The characters in the film play good people in their difficult circumstances, which is reminiscent of the  2011  Iranian film "A Farewell".

Right. However, the two films are not the same, after all, the cultures are different. But in terms of the creative inspiration of the film, there are similarities. The story of "A Farewell" takes place in Iran and tells the story of the influence of Islamic religion on society. In China, our focus is on the one-child policy and the influence of traditional feudal etiquette on favoring sons over daughters. In addition, the film also focuses on urban-rural differences, the gap between rich and poor, and why girls are abandoned and boys are easily trafficked.

Have you encountered review issues? After all, the theme of the film involves the sensitive issue of the one-child policy, and some of the film's plots about the government are quite negative.

Every China filmmaker knows that he must face censorship. Every place has its own rules. Whether you agree with its rationality or not, you must learn to adapt to these rules and try your best to present what you want to express in the film.

I think the scariest thing about film censorship is not the censorship itself, but that you have to censor yourself. At the thought of being interrogated, I might have given up before I even started, and nothing was filmed in the end. Therefore, efforts and continuous breakthroughs are needed to win approval.

Compromise is inevitable, but you must learn to weigh the pros and cons. Are those subtle details really important, and can they still express the original intention if they are sacrificed? It's not easy, but every step of the film will experience these difficulties. This is reality. If the movie finally passes censorship and hits the big screen, you will be proud, and all the conflicts, negotiations, and all the embarrassment you have experienced will be worth it.

I was actually surprised that this film basically passed. We didn't compromise too much. We don't have to cut out all sensitive shots, just control emotions and conflicts. Some shots of officials in the film can actually be longer or more intense, such as the scene in the family planning office. This part of the content was very sensitive, but it passed the review. I filmed the conflict between parents and officials for almost 10 to 15 seconds more, but I finally decided not to.

The production companies behind the film "Dear" include Alibaba Pictures Group, the film production and investment arm of China e-commerce giant Alibaba. Companies such as Alibaba and Wanda that are not mainly engaged in the entertainment industry have an increasing influence on China's film industry. What do you think of this?

I have been in the film industry for more than  33  years, and today's film market in China can be said to be the best period in history. A large number of audiences walked into the theater. Consumer demand for high-quality films continues to increase, and the government also strongly supports the development of the film industry and content industry. As a result, investors have become diversified, ranging from Internet companies to projection companies like Wanda, and other large companies interested in getting a piece of the pie.

We have learned a lot from the United States or Hollywood how to distribute and screen movies. After all, they have a long history in this field. But today, the number of Internet users in China has surpassed that in the United States, and this number is still rising. I believe that in the future, people will see China proposing many very creative methods in online distribution. From this perspective, I think the world will soon learn from China.

Overall, the prospects of China's film industry are optimistic, but there have still been many complaints in the past few years. Many intellectuals always scold China films, thinking that the more they are made, the worse they are getting, but you have to understand that today's demographic pattern has changed. The surge in box office of movies in recent years is due to the fact that a large number of new theaters have been built in third-and fourth-tier cities. Therefore, a large number of box office comes from areas outside the city, and the audience is younger and many of them come from rural areas. People's movie viewing choices are different. Buying movie tickets is arguably the most democratic thing in the world because people pay out of their own pockets, so it can be said that the audience is voting with their own money. You can say that some people like bad movies, and we like high-quality movies, but who are we to judge other people's tastes?

How does the rapid development of the film market in the mainland of China affect you?

As the film market becomes more commercialized, many mainland filmmakers are troubled by the current market situation. But in fact this is a positive development because the market is bigger. There are some movies I don't like or even hate, but they have achieved amazing box office results. And it doesn't matter, it will only expand the box office and give me broader space to do what I want to do.

For example,  five  years ago, considering the box office prospects, films like "Dear" would not have made money and would only be classified as alternative and non-mainstream films. The box office of such films usually fails miserably, and is estimated to not reach the level of 30 to 50 million yuan. Today, the film has grossed 350 million yuan in box office, 10 times that of a few years ago. So I don't care what kind of film changed the landscape of the big screen, because this growth actually benefits everyone.

 Translation uncle

Editor: queenie