Golden Jue Award judge Wan Ma Caidan: Art films need to cultivate audiences. Good films can stand the test of time

Also at the age of 47, he is also a director who works quietly in the field of art films in China. Compared with Jia Zhangke, Wan Ma Caidan, the director who focuses on Tibetan-themed films, is even more niche. Although sitting in a cafe may not be recognized by the public at a glance, Wanma Caidan's works "Quiet Manite Stone" and "Tallo" have won many film awards at home and abroad. In an exclusive interview with reporters, Wanma Caidan sincerely talked about the situation of contemporary China art films.

Original title: Golden Jue Award judge Wan Ma Caidan: Under the torrent of capital, art films still have room to survive.

On June 13, Wan Ma Caidan, a judge of the Golden Jue Award at the 19th Shanghai International Film Festival who had just received an exclusive interview with reporters, just got up. His son said to him excitedly in Tibetan: "Jia Zhangke is at the next table."

Jia Zhangke, wearing a pair of sunglasses, also saw Wanma Caidan. He took off his glasses and walked forward to shake hands with Wanma Caidan. When he heard that Wanma Caidan's son was also determined to apply for the Beijing film director major, he took out his mobile phone and said to his assistant: "Help me take a photo with the father and son."

Although sitting in a cafe may not be recognized by the public at a glance, Wanma Caidan's works "Quiet Manite Stone" and "Tallo" have won many film awards at home and abroad. In an exclusive interview with reporters, Wanma Caidan sincerely talked about the situation of contemporary China art films.

"When looking for investment, the script is the most important"

Reporter: The films you shoot all belong to the category of art films. With a large amount of capital entering the industry and the overwhelming number of commercial films, what is the living status of art films?

Wanma Caidan: I think with the take-off of China's film market, art films still have a certain room for survival. Now that the needs of the audience have become more diverse, many commercial film companies are also willing to spend some funds to make art films without even asking for return, which shows that there is still room for (art films).

But the more serious problem at present is the change in the mentality of the creator himself. Therefore, when it comes to commercial themes, everyone's focus will change, resulting in a decline in the quality of the film itself. For example, there were no China films at the Cannes Film Festival last year, which also explains a problem: people are not as serious as before. Pay attention to the film itself.

Reporter: Making art films will encounter financial problems. From your personal experience, what method can best impress investors?

Wanma Caidan: First of all, there must be a good script. The script is the most important thing. How to choose a good story and write it into a script is the core concept of making movies. Investment can be found if the story is attractive and the concept is novel. Many people don't have scripts, and it is difficult to convince people by dictation alone.

In addition, you can make a short film that will be seen by people with some experience and trust you. This is very important. If the work is good and you find the right time to promote it, you will have the opportunity to get investment. There are many channels now, and venture capital from the Internet, forums, and film festivals are all good opportunities.

However, there is still a problem that investors and directors cannot meet each other. Many companies want to produce some high-quality products, but they don't know how to find good projects.

"Art films require audience training mechanisms"

Reporter: Art films are rarely shown in theaters in ordinary times, but the Shanghai Film Festival has once again seen the phenomenon of "hard to get a ticket" for art films. Regarding this strange state of affairs, how do you or your distributor operate art films?

Wanma Caidan: I think as the author of a movie, my interference in operations is very limited. After he completes a movie, he may not necessarily be the copyright holder of the movie, so it is difficult to control distribution issues. However, the situation is better now than before. Some commercial theaters have already begun to show art films, such as my movie "Tallo", which may be available in theaters this year. "The Quiet Manite Stone" has also been screened in Shanghai and Beijing, which was impossible before.

In addition, audience demand is also increasing. In the past, the public awareness of art films was very low, but now audiences are also willing to see some different films. However, many platforms and resources for art films are currently only available in Shanghai and Beijing. Even if audiences in other cities want to watch them, they have no way to see them, resulting in the phenomenon of "hard to get a ticket". In France, the screening and production of art films have special support from the state. Currently, there is no such special project in China.

Reporter: Do you think there will be an era in the China market where art films are sought after? Do you think China films will be more global?

Wanma Caidan: I think it is difficult in China because it requires an audience training mechanism. Only after many years of training can the audience develop an aesthetic interest in art films. If there is such an audience base, it is still possible, but it is unlikely at present. Now that there are too many choices, the audience is still willing to watch commercial movies.

In the past, foreign audiences had a curiosity about China culture, but now this era has passed. Nowadays, foreign audiences and foreign film awards pay more attention to China films than the film itself.

"A good movie must stand the test of time."

Reporter: If there is an investment but the subject matter is not satisfactory, would you consider it?

Wanma Caidan: It still depends on whether you like the subject matter or not. If you don't like it, you won't shoot it. Nowadays, movie makers are too impetuous and eager for success, but movies are not in a hurry.

Reporter: Your works, such as "Old Dog" and "Quiet Manite Stone", all have profound national themes. In the era of globalization, what do you think of this type of movies?

Wanma Caidan: I personally would not emphasize nationality. Too much emphasis on it will make it superficial. The most important thing in the subject matter of movies is people, so several of my films are people-centered. In "Jingjing Manei Stone" and "Looking for Wisdom and Beauty", the theme of the film involves a group, a group portrait, which is about the living conditions of people in a village. "Tallo" focuses on the individual's living conditions. Ethnic character will definitely be brought with it, but I won't emphasize it deliberately, because what I take is my own ethnic thing.

Reporter: Among the various types of complex film forms, what kind of movies do you think are good movies?

Wanma Caidan: There are no standards for this. The most important thing is to stand the test of time. Some movies feel good now, but they won't work in two years. They are not good movies. If you can still feel good watching it many years later, this is a good movie.

Editor: yvette