Lu Chuan: Film festivals are the way out for artistic films. Basic industries need more development than VR

On April 5, a dialogue event with the theme of "China Film Industry: Current Situation and Challenges" was held at the Canadian Embassy in China. Lu Chuan said that in China, there are fewer and fewer directors making art films, and the only way out for art films to survive may be film festivals. Regarding VR technology, which is currently very popular overseas and domestically, in Lu Chuan's view, what China films need more support from basic industries

Original title Lu Chuan: Film Festival is a way out for artistic films. Basic industries need more development than VR

. On April 5, a dialogue event with the theme of "China Film Industry: Current Situation and Challenges" was held at the Canadian Embassy in China. China director Lu Chuan and Toronto International Film Festival Chairman Pierce Handlin shared their views on the theme of "Challenges and Opportunities Facing China Films at Home and Abroad" and also answered media questions on current hot topics in the industry. In addition, industry insiders such as Jiang Ping, general manager of China Film Co., Ltd., Ye Ning, CEO of Huayi Brothers Film Co., Ltd., and director Xie Fei also attended the day's event as special guests.

Lu Chuan talks TIFF Chairman: Film festivals are the way out for art films and independent filmmakers

. Although China's film market continues to grow and box office numbers continue to soar, art films (artistic films) have always struggled below the survival line. For independent filmmakers who create film and television works on this theme, several well-known film festivals in the world have become important platforms for them to emerge. Lu Chuan, who has filmed many commercial films, said that for China directors, everyone is facing a very good era. But for creators of art films, this is a very bad environment: "Our criterion for success is already very single, and that is the market. Now the box office has gradually become the only basis for measuring the quality of a movie. But in fact, art films, or films with conscience and feelings, should still be part of the film industry and should have its own space for existence. But in China, there are fewer and fewer directors making art films, and the only way out for art films to survive may be film festivals."

Regarding Lu Chuan's point of view, Han Delin agreed: "I think the works of some filmmakers may now exist just for the film festival, or it can be said that it is because their films have no other place to show. The living space of this kind of art films is very small. In the past, there were many specialized art cinemas to watch art films, but now they are gone. So our current film festival has become a distribution channel that replaces the original art movie theater." But at the same time, Han Delin also mentioned that while promoting art films, the film festival also has the important task of promoting and discovering outstanding film talents: "For example, filmmakers like Lu Chuan, Zhang Yimou, and Chen Kaige are all known through the film festival. Of course, their later achievements went far beyond the scope of the film festival, which was a good result. For us, we need to discover the next batch of outstanding talents." Lu Chuan, who has filmed many commercial blockbusters, also agrees with this statement. He said that although he is not a typical "film festival director," this special occasion has indeed provided important support to a generation of China directors.

The overseas road of Chinese films requires cultural support.

The film basic industry is in urgent need of development than VR

. How to go overseas has become a cliché topic among China filmmakers. Lu Chuan bluntly said that not so much that China films are not doing well enough in the international market (North American market), it is better to say that films from all over the world are not doing well in North America. "So in fact, China films have put forward a very high request for themselves. I think it is good to make demands and prove that we have pursuits, but if this is the case, I must first make everyone understand our values. In the rapid development, many of our concepts have not kept up. In another five or 10 years, our values may become consistent with the entire outside world." Lu Chuan said,"Our genre films have just begun to accumulate. I think China films are at the best time. (However) It is too early to say that we have been able to share our film culture with the world. We may have done it in terms of capital, but we have not yet done it in terms of culture, aesthetics, historical accumulation, and accumulation of good films." Next, Lu Chuan will have two works ("Born in China" and "River City") that have been collaborated with overseas film companies. He is also looking forward to sharing China films with American audiences and accepting the challenge of "going overseas."

Finally, some media mentioned to Lu Chuan that VR technology is currently very popular overseas and at home. Previously, Zhang Yimou and other directors also revealed that they would shoot VR movies. Lu Chuan revealed that as a game fan, he had already purchased a set of game VR equipment and had some understanding of this technology: "In October last year, I visited a group at Fox Films, and the research work they did made me very Very surprised, I saw their full use of VR. Although Fox is a film company, the research done by their VR team has gone far beyond the scope of movies. In China, VR may still be used as a means of movies, but it is actually helpful for humans to understand the world." However, in Lu Chuan's view, what China films currently need more support from basic industries: "As a film worker, I actually look forward to the recent influx of hot money, as well as the prosperity of the entire film market, which can accumulate some real industrial progress for China films and fill some industrial gaps. For example, all of our current 3D cameras are not domestically produced, and the slightly more sophisticated film equipment is not domestically produced. To do some special makeup, we must hire Hollywood filmmakers. The top conceptual design, as well as science fiction, must also be Hollywood designers. I don't think we have reached the level of VR yet. We still have too many basic and bottom-level things to fill in."

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Editor: kong