ChinesFilmMarket Cannes 2023

4 76 Festival de Cannes

Several Chinese Films Shortlisted for the 76th Cannes International Film Festival 多部精彩华语片入围第76届戛纳国际电影节

New Changes in the Imported Film Market in Mainland China 中国内地进口片市场出现哪些新变化？

Industry Experts Offer Insights to Help Chinese Films Go Global 华语电影如何出海，多名业内专家献计献策

Box Office of Mainland China in Q1 of 2023 2023年第1季度中国内地电影票房

Chinese Kungfu Films Are Bidding Farewell to Kungfu Stuntmen 中国功夫片正在告别“龙虎武师”

Falling in Love with A City Because of A Movie, TALE OF THE NIGHT 一部电影一座城：《长沙夜生活》

Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Film Industry 人工智能与电影产业的未来

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Several Chinese Films Shortlisted for the 76th Cannes International Film Festival

多部精彩华语片入围第76届戛纳国际电影节

By Alex

The 76th Cannes International Film Festival will be held from May 16 to 27 this year. In the updated film list, a total of eight Chinese films have been shortlisted, including five feature films and three short films, among which there are many much-anticipated works.

Two works by documentary director Wang Bing were shortlisted

Two works by Chinese documentary director Wang Bing were selected for this year’s Cannes Film Festival. YOUNG (SPRING) was shortlisted for the main competition section and MEN IN BLACK was shortlisted for the special screening section. Wang Bing has dedicated himself to making documentaries in obscurity for 20 years. His works have been selected in many European film festivals such as Locarno, Venice and Festival of the 3 Continents

and won several awards. He is crowned by French film critics as one of the most important documentary filmmakers since

the 21st century. Keeping a low profile, Wang has always shot and produced films independently, without any substantial connection with the film industry and commercial operation, which set him apart in Chinese film community.

Since the trilogy TIE XI QU: WEST OF THE TRACKS made 20 years ago, which lasted more than nine hours, Wang Bing has completely abandoned the fancy shooting methods and the pursuit of visual appeal when making documentaries. His creative methods are closer to the documentary “Direct Cinema” movement originated in France in 1950s and flourished in the United States and Canada in 1960s and 1980s. Such a creative style adheres to the shooting principle that the filmmaker does not have direct communication with

the subject in the film. There is no interview, no preset and live interference on the event. Besides, the film has no schematic scene unrelated to the shooting theme and content, and no sound other than live recording is inserted. Common documentary post-production means such as music, voiceover and post-auxiliary environmental sound are not adopted. The director’s will no longer run through the film explicitly, but play the role of an observer.

In TIE XI QU: WEST OF THE TRACKS, Wang Bing shows Shenyang Industrial Zone and the surrounding environment in China at the beginning of the 20th century. Without leading characters and central events, the film narrates the daily life, chitchat and dazing off of hundreds of

ordinary workers in factories, streets, residences and railways. The film skips the text-based narration, generalization and summary, and also skips the narrative guidance made by the camera and photographer as the medium in the conventional film, immersing audience from different cultural backgrounds into the restored regional situation, and generating extraordinary appeal. Upon release, TIE XI QU: WEST OF THE TRACKS triggered great repercussions in the documentary industry in the West, especially in Europe. In the subsequent FENGMING HE, MAN WITH NO NAME, COAL MONEY and THREE SISTERS, Wang Bing became more restrained in image expression. These films are closer to the experimental installation works showcased

still @ YOUNG (SPRING)

poster of YOUNG (SPRING)

in museums (MAN WITH NO NAME is mainly screened in museums). You don’t even need to watch from the beginning, instead, you can start from any point in the form of rolling, jumping, superimposing or breaking, as it will not affect the audience’s experience and understanding of these works. For ordinary audience who

are used to receiving narration and sensory stimulation from the big screen, it is not an easy thing for them to absorb these intuitive visual presentations. It is required that the audience can serve as observers and listeners like Wang Bing’s lens, especially for films like TA'ANG, BITTER MONEY, MRS. FANG and DEAD

SOULS. The long close-up and narration of characters, monotonous and trivial actions and fragmented incidents all test audience’s patience when watching films. But if we leave more time for the characters on the screen, we will feel the shocking and nuanced moments. Wang Bing is full of confidence in his ability to choose subjects and organize image materials, and has shaped up a unique personal style in an attempt in the subtle but stylized image combination.

The selection of Wang Bing’s documentary YOUTH (SPRING) in the main competition unit is the second time for Chinese film to be shortlisted for the main competition unit in Cannes since Yinan Diao’s WILD GOOSE LAKE was shortlisted four years ago. YOUTH (SPRING) focuses on Yunnan migrant workers in Shanghai. This is the second time for Wang Bing to be shortlisted into Cannes since DEAD SOULS five years ago. He is also the first Chinese director to enter the main competition in Cannes in the category of documentary. It is reported that the film YOUTH (SPRING) is expected to last for three and a half hours.

MEN IN BLACK directed by him was shot in 6k, and finally the film was presented in 4k.

Wang Bing introduces this film as such: “I just finished a short film, just one hour long, and I intended to use it in MEN IN

BLACK curated by the Art Gallery. In this film, I filmed the great Chinese composer Wang Xilin at the Bouffes du Nord Theater, and there was no audience at the scene.”

Wei Shujun was selected for the fourth time at Cannes International Film Festival

In A Certain Regard section, the shortlisted Chinese films include Wei Shujun’s ONLY THE RIVER FLOWS and Chen Zheyi’s THE BREAKING ICE.

ONLY THE RIVER FLOWS is adapted from the original work of Yu Hua, a famous Chinese writer. This is the fourth time that Wei Shujun, a post-90s generation, has been shortlisted for Cannes.

ONLY THE RIVER FLOWS

poster of ONLY THE RIVER FLOWS

tells the story of a paradoxical murder involving many suspects, and the criminal police captain in charge of detection is fiddled with the unspeakable truth, and gradually falls into absurd, uneasy and indistinguishable moments and memories. The

original novel has distinctive features, leaving readers with ample room for imagination and interpretation, and full of the author’s expressiveness, which is carried into the film.

At present, the international poster released by the film is inspired by the expressionist painter Munch’s work Skrik. Borrowing its concept, it outlines the unique absurd style of the film with red and rough wooden carving strokes combined with ancient Chinese style. From the stage photos released simultaneously, we can catch a glimpse of the realistic texture of the characters in the film.

ONLY THE RIVER FLOWS is the fourth work shortlisted for Cannes Film Festival

poster of THE BREAKING ICE

THE RIVER FLOWS

by director Wei Shujun. In 2018, the short film ON THE BORDER directed by him won the Special Mention Award in the Short Film Competition Unit of the 71st Cannes Film Festival. In 2020, his film STRIDING INTO THE WIND was nominated for the new feature film director at the 73rd Cannes International Film Festival. This film is Wei Shujun’s first feature film, which is funded by Alibaba Pictures. In 2021, RIPPLES OF LIFE directed by Wei Shujun was shortlisted for the director biweekly unit of the 74th Cannes International Film Festival, and he also won the honor of Fei Mu Awards Best Director at Pingyao Film Festival. RIPPLES OF LIFE

is one of the most widely discussed films at Pingyao Film Festival, with Douban score

reaching 8.3 points.

THE BREAKING ICE directed by Singaporean director Chen Zheyi, starring Zhou Dongyu, Liu Haoran and Qu Chuxiao, interprets a winter emotional story.

Green directors and new works show unlimited potential

In addition, Chinese female directors Geng Zihan’s maiden work A SONG SUNG BLUE,

Pan Yue’s short film TALKING TO THE RIVER and Shu Hui’s short film WALKING WITH HER INTO THE NIGHT were shortlisted for the director biweekly and film critic weekly units, reflecting the creative potential of the younger generation of Chinese filmmakers.

Directed by He Yupeng, supervised by Lan Canzhao and co-produced by Chu Mengnan, the Chinese short film A

BRIGHT SUNNY DAY entered the film cornerstone unit. It is reported that A BRIGHT SUNNY DAY was originally a summer homework for the first-year graduate students of Columbia University. Its shortlist in Cannes means that students of Columbia University compete for the honor of this film festival with students from other film schools around the world. Set in a hot summer, the film tells a short and subtle emotional story between two

strangers. A BRIGHT SUNNY DAY was shot in Chifeng Town, Chao'an District, Chaozhou City, Guangdong Province, starring Lan Jianhong and Wei Yaxiu. Both of them and other participants are not pro actors. The polishing of details and emotional control have been unanimously recognized by the Cannes film selection team.

“This is a serene, beautiful and subtle film.” Dimitra Ka

Ya, artistic director of the film cornerstone unit of Cannes Film

Festival, commented.

Chinese director Yu Hao’s animated short film PRIMITIVE TIMES, which will premiere in Cannes and compete for the Film Cornerstone Award on behalf of Barbersberg Film and Television Academy in Germany.

(Editor: Guan Yu)

Still of A BRIGHT SUNNY DAY

poster of WALKING WITH HER INTO THE NIGHT

poster of TALKING TO THE RIVER

poster of A BRIGHT SUNNY DAY

New Changes in the Imported Film Market in Mainland China

中国内地进口片市场出现哪些新变化？

By Zhang Yue

At the end of 2022, Chinese mainland adjusted its film market policy, and almost all applications for imported films were granted approval to enter the Chinese market, including Hollywood PG-13 blockbusters.

Many films, as well as films on the waiting list for approval for many years have also been granted the introduction quota. According to industry analysts, the stock of domestic films is limited, among which highquality domestic films are

planned to be screened during the Spring Festival, summer vacation, National Day, New Year’s Eve, Qingming Festival, May Day, Dragon Boat Festival, Mid-Autumn Festival and other holidays. Although the pandemic has ended and the

human traffic has recovered, the going is still tough for cinemas this year. If another two to three troughs like last year occurred, it will be more difficult to boost the confidence of the film market. It is an effective attempt to boost Chinese film market by leveraging the power of imported film market.

Re-screening of classic movies boosts box office

In the three years of strict pandemic prevention and control policy in China, the rescreened classics once became hits temporarily. In the early stage of the resumption of the film market in 2020, the Film Administration prepared a batch of films to participate in the rescreening plan. According to statistics, a total of 41 films were re-screened in the initial stage of work resumption, of which 28 films grossed more than 1 million yuan of box office revenue. However, the total box office of these 41 rescreened films only came in at 596 million yuan, accounting for 16.5% of the total box office from July to August in summer, and only two imported films, HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER'S STONE and INTERSTELLAR, have raked in over 100 million yuan of box office revenue.

After that, the box office of AVATAR, LORD OF THE RINGS trilogy and TITANIC fell short of expectation. Many

people also ask whether it is no longer necessary to rescreen films after the market returns to normal. In fact, considering the shrinking volume of Hollywood seasonal blockbusters, some re-released films are still needed to fill the market gap. In fact, streaming companies have abundant rescreened film resources, such as Disney’s Marvel series and classic animated films, Warner’s THE MATRIX, THE HOBBIT

and THE DARK KNIGHT series, Sony’s SPIDERMAN series, Universal’s THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS, JURASSIC WORLD series, Paramount’s FORREST GUMP and TRANSFORMERS series. There are more than 30 Hollywood re-released films, all of which have earned a box office revenue totaling about 30 to 50 million yuan. Releasing one or two films every week in the daily schedule has

Poster of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania

The premiere of Shazam! Fury of the Gods

effectively boosted the market and cut the number of days earning below 30 million.

Re-screening excellent films when there is a lack of new films can not only meet the needs of some film fans, but also achieve a high box office, which is also a win-win scenario for the mainland film market.

Fully lift the restrictions on the publicity of Hollywood box office split

Several years ago, Hollywood box office split blockbusters could maintain

30-40% of the annual total box office in China. In strong years, the total box office of imported films could even outperform domestic films, which is why domestic films “would turn pale at the mention of Hollywood”.

Because Hollywood films are strong enough, they are correspondingly restricted in the mainland market. Before 2017, it is even difficult for Hollywood box office split films to obtain a normal Friday release plan, and they are scheduled to be released on Monday, Tuesday and Sunday, and the release date is several

weeks later than that in North America.

Since 2017, with the decline in the proportion of imported films, the mainland film market has gradually removed the restrictions on the release of Hollywood box office split blockbusters: more than 95% of box office split films can be released normally on Friday, and the release date will be set about 20-30 days in advance.

Except for Spring Festival, summer vacation and National Day, most Hollywood box office split films can be released synchronously or even earlier in

North America. Due to policy restrictions, Hollywood box office split films are bound to a certain extent compared with domestic films in Chinese mainland, in terms of publicity methods, channels and hype. All kinds of publicity restrictions have led to the limited budget of Hollywood box office split films in Chinese mainland. According to industry insiders, the publicity cost of most Hollywood box

office split films in Chinese mainland is about 10-30 million yuan, which is relatively low compared with domestic films. Further removing the publicity restrictions of box office split films can not only broaden the audience of box office split films, but also enable Hollywood filmmakers to invest more publicity expenses in Chinese mainland. It is beneficial for both the mainland film market and for publicity

and distribution company, which undertakes outsourcing work.

Simplify the procedures for buying out and submitting films for review

Under normal circumstances, the film submission process will be initiated at least three months before the release for Hollywood box office split blockbusters, to ensure that the content and technical review, as well as the subsequent translation and dubbing work, will be carried out smoothly and timely. For the approval of buyout films, due to the complicated relevant procedures, most films are only submitted to the mainland after the films are released overseas. Under normal circumstances, it takes at least 4 months to go through the whole approval process, so most approved films will be released at least 3-6 months later than overseas. Delaying the release will also dampen the popularity of most films.

Correspondingly, China should try its best to simplify the approval process of buyout films, and shorten the approval process within two months, so as to accelerate the schedule setting and release of approval as soon as possible.

It is conceivable that if the introduction window period can be cut to less than 3 months, some Indian, Korean

Promotion of SUZUME in China

Poster of SUZUME

Poster of AVATAR: THE WAY OF WATER

and Japanese films, which are popular overseas, will also have stellar market performance in Chinese mainland.

Dark comics films VS Manga films

In recent years, dark comics movies, which once dominated the Chinese film market for many years and focused on superheroes, seem to be on the wane. After the film market in Chinese mainland fully recovered, all three superhero films released in 2023 flopped. In particular, BLACK PANTHER II and SHAZAM!

FURY OF THE GODS II achieved only about 15% of the box office performance of their previous installment,

while ANT-MAN III, which is released simultaneously in China and the United States and enjoys a good word-of-mouth in China, has performed slightly better, but the box office is close to 30%, and the final box office earning is less than 300 million yuan.

Manga films delivered much more stable performance. Whether it is Conan series or One Piece series, the box office performance was only 8-10% worse from the previous installments. If cinema closing in some cities during the pandemic is considered, the impact was almost negligible.

SUZUME, with a high pre-sale box office, not only hit another record high in the box office

of Japanese films in China for nearly seven years, but also topped the box office ranking of imported films in Chinese film market since the pandemic three years ago.

After three years of epidemic, the market performance of these two types of imported films diverged. The dark comic films flopped one after another, while the manga films are gaining stronger momentum. What are the underlying reasons?

According to the analysis of film professionals, there are several reasons. First of all, the decline in box office of imported films can be attributed to the worsening China-US relations in recent years, which dampened the interest and

feeling of Chinese audiences for American culture.

Second, because of the relevant foreign and publicity policies, the introduction scale of Japanese films in the past three years has not suffered the same impact as Hollywood blockbusters. Although the number of Japanese films introduced could not be compared with its heyday, popular Japanese films such as DORAEMON, CASE CLOSED, DIGIMON: DIGITAL MONSTERS and ONE PIECE have all been introduced. This continuous introduction injects a strong boost to audience’s interest and enthusiasm. On the other hand, Hollywood, especially Disney and Sony, which rely heavily on Marvel movies, showed a suspension of renewal in the past three years. In terms of adapted superhero movies, only THE BATMAN has been released since 2021, and this film is the least like the traditional superhero film. The discontinuation of capturing audience’s interest for three years is also one of the important reasons for the loss of audience in dark comics.

Third, Manga films have extensive themes and stable quality, while the theme of dark comics superheroes has fallen into aesthetic fatigue. After 2020, although imported films are generally in a sluggish situation, many imported films have raked in good box office

results. Among the TOP10 imported films, such as 1.697 billion yuan of AVATAR II, 335 million yuan of THE BAD GUYS, superhero films are no longer in sight. From the perspective of theme types, the superhero theme has intensively entered the shooting period since 2012, and at least three to five films have been released every year in 2018. Although commercial masterpieces are frequently released, the creativity of this theme has been relatively drained. At present,

there are about 5 superhero films every year, and the masterpiece rate has dropped to 20%, and the audience has become increasingly disinterested. This has also been reacted to some extent in overseas film markets such as Europe and America. In the last three years, except SPIDERMAN: NO WAY HOME, there have been no superhero movies taking the box office by storm. On the contrary, traditional films such as AVATAR II and TOP GUN: MAVERICK have

The premiere of THE FIRST SLAM DUNK in China

grossed better-than-expected box office results, especially in China’s box office market. On the other hand, the theme types of Japanese movies are more diversified. This is true of

CASE CLOSED, ONE PIECE FILM RED, and DORAEMON, a family animation, as well as HELLO WORLD and SUZUME which both boast a youth fantasy theme with a wider audience.

The fourth reason is that the core fans of Manga are more stable. According to years of market observation, it can be seen that the core fans in

the pandemic, the related budget and scale decreased significantly. In contrast, many films with more flexible release schedule have better advantages. This is particularly evident in SUZUME. This film was finalized one and a half months in advance. As the first imported film whose main creator came to China after the pandemic, the premiere of Makoto Shinkai’s roadshow also successfully promoted the increase of popularity and presale. At present, the box office of THE FIRST SLAM DUNK has exceeded 600 million yuan.

Chinese mainland are more stable due to shared culture of Manga movies, while the fan group of dark comics movies is also growing, but the audience range is wider but not stable enough. This can also be found from the relatively stable box office volume of CASE CLOSED, ONE PIECE.

Finally, the current Japanese animated films and dark comics are treated differently. Most Hollywood superhero film are box office split. Before the pandemic, the scale of imported box office split films was large, but after

Miyazaki Hayao’s classic LAPUTA: CASTLE IN THE SKY, which has been finalized on June 1, and DORAEMON THE MOVIE: NOBITA'S SKY UTOPIA and DETECTIVE CONAN BLACK IRON FISH SHADOW, the annual introduction of Japanese comics series, EVANGELION: 3.0+1.0 and CODE: WHITE SPY×FAMILY CODE:

WHITE, which are reported to be submitted for review again, also have box office strength of more than 100 million. Of course, Miyazaki Hayao, who has been silent for ten years after THE WIND RISES in 2013, will also release his latest work HOW DO YOU LIVE this year, which is expected to achieve a box office of 500 million. On the whole, Japanese animated films are expected to achieve another box office success this year.

Industry Experts Offer Insights to Help Chinese Films Go Global

By Lihong

As Chinese film market grows mature and prosperous and better integrated with the global film industry, Chinese film community has become increasingly urgent to venture into the global market. “How Chinese films go global” and

“How can Chinese films tell Chinese stories well” have become the themes of major domestic film market forums.

Let’s check out key takeaways from experts and scholars on this topic from 2023 Beijing International Film Festival.

Yu Dong, Chairman, Founder

and General Manager of Bona Film Group Co., Ltd., noted that China needs to strengthen the ability in international distribution, export and exerting influence in its transition from a big film country to a powerful film country. Meanwhile, it takes three steps for Chinese

Poster of JURASSIC WORLD: DOMINION

华语电影如何出海，多名业内专家献计献策

Still @ THE WANDERING EARTH II

films to do well in overseas distribution. The first step is for film companies to develop international buyers and attract global buyers come to China to watch films. “What is the recipe for the rise of Korean films? They invited buyers from all over the world at Busan Film Festival by cutting the film price to a level as low as $10,000 for 10 films. After the buyers earned money, Korean films became an interesting business. And they would come back to further negotiate the price. Newly-released films like THE WANDERING EARTH

II are now prices at $100,000, and developing international buyers is the first step,” said Yu Dong. After international buyers are in place, film companies need to promote international co-production. What is international coproduction? Yu Dong explained that this is a method of cooperation where Chinese and overseas film companies work together by leveraging their market distribution ability and financial strength to presell and make investment, and bundle distribution and benefits in advance. Finally, Yu Dong held that to integrate into the global market, we need to launch a fully-fledged

international schedule. He believes that China has already had the ability to synchronize the Spring Festival schedules globally. Every February, Chinese film companies launch the Spring Festival schedule, which is no different from Hollywood Christmas summer schedule. In fact, February, when the Spring Festival falls, is actually a period when global films are not released at full throttle, but there are 70 million Chinese living overseas, and

many of them want to watch Chinese blockbusters at the earliest date possible. As such, Bona has built up the ability to launch well-functioning release schedules in 200 capitals and 200 major cities around the world.

Fu Ruoqing, Chairman and General Manager of China Film Co., Ltd., talked about the overseas distribution experience of Chinese film THE WANDERING EARTH

II. THE WANDERING EARTH

II was released simultaneously across different countries for a simple reason, which is kung fu films, martial arts films and science fiction films tend to arouse people’s resonance more easily than other film genres. However, in the process of promoting the global release, Fu found that it was difficult to get all this done in 20 days because of the transmission of copies, the arrangement of publicity personnel and the restrictions of international flights back then. For this reason, overseas professional distribution companies were engaged for this overseas distribution as they are proficient in publicity, film schedule and overall arrangement. There were still screenings one month after the initial release of THE WANDERING EARTH II overseas. Fu also stressed that the success of films going global lies in universally shared emotions and values. He thinks that THE WANDERING

EARTH II grossed high box office and positive word of mouth overseas because science fiction film is more international, and people across different countries can echo the values of a community with a shared future for mankind embodied in the film in the process of overseas communication.

KEKEXILI: MOUNTAIN PATROL and BORN IN CHINA directed by famous Chinese director Lu Chuan have been released overseas. In particular, BORN IN CHINA has earned high box office in North America. He said: “I was quite impressed because BORN IN CHINA was a cooperation with Disney. The release date was already determined when the contract was signed and everything progressed as scheduled. When Disney released this film, all Disney offline stores repeatedly played the film BORN IN CHINA, and invited Woody Allen and Coen

brothers to attend the premiere. We can see that the international production of Chinese films need to use global channels, and we have to borrow boats to navigate the sea.”

Chinese actress Li Bingbing created intelligent, capable and knowledgeable oriental female images in films such as TRANSFORMERS: AGE OF EXTINCTION, THE MEG and GUARDIANS OF THE TOMB. She said that when receiving an invitation from an international film company, the first thing she will do is to look at the characters. In the past, many Asian characters in Western films were vaguely painted. In fact, whether Chinese, Japanese or Korean, each character should have its own unique and distinct personality and cultural brand. Besides, the profile should be narrated without discrimination, undefined and full of strength, faith and belief.

Director Florian Henkel von Donas Marc, the director of

Yukang Ando

ƒFu Ruoqing

‚Director Florian Henkel von Donas Marc

„Yu Dong

Lu Chuan

DAS LEBEN DER ANDEREN, shared the experience of resonating with the global audience, as he thinks that the most important thing is to stay true to the national cultural background, especially to present the national elements in detail, which is the first thing to do. Also, people can echo with these elements. If you want to make a film with cultural specificity and truly show the cultural elements of your country, it is the best way to achieve it. At the same time, he also talked about the improved international reputation of Chinese films overseas. “I think Chinese films are now at the highest point in terms of international reputation.

China has proved its ability to establish its own film structure

Chinese Kungfu Films Are Bidding Farewell to Kungfu Stuntmen

中国功夫片正在告别“龙虎武师”

By Luoyang

and allow people to follow its own quality standards, just like what directors Zhang Yimou and Lu Chuan have been doing.

Yukang Ando, President of Tokyo International Film Festival, talked about the major responsibility of cultural exchange that films or film festivals assume based on his personal experience. The exchange of Chinese and Japanese film reached a climax in 1980s. He was touched when exposed to so many excellent and refreshing Chinese films, such as YELLOW EARTH, HIBISCUS TOWN, RED SORGHUM, FAREWELL MY CONCUBINE, all of which have been imprinted in his mind. During that period, many Japanese films were introduced to China, such as MANHUNT,

SANDAKAN NO. 8, THE CASTLE OF SAND, THE YELLOW HANDKERCHIEF OF HAPPINESS. These films were deeply loved by fans after released in China. He also analyzed the unique charm of oriental culture. “Oriental culture provides unique cultural and aesthetic consciousness, so our films are imbued with a unique sense of value. In this ever-changing world, we put oriental culture under the limelight by means of film language. In this process, we should not only respect the values and aesthetic values of oriental culture, but also take in the new values of the new era, that is to say, we should inherit the essence of traditional culture while integrating the culture in this new era.”

Still @ KUNGFU STUNTMEN

RIDE ON, a Chinese film starring Jackie Chan, Liu Haocun and Guo Qilin, has been aired in China. This movie tells the story of kungfu stuntmen who specialize in traditional stunts, and expresses sincere feelings

and-out kungfu stuntman named Luo. In the movie, he was once the “most capable kungfu stuntman" favored by films, but now encounters difficulties and scrapes a living with his beloved horse, Red Rabbit. It’s found among the fans

familiar with action movies and Hong Kong movies that RIDE ON maps many aspects of the once glorious Hong Kong film era and Jackie Chan himself. To show respect to predecessors of the kungfu stuntmen, Wu Jing, Yu Rongguang and many other stars have also acted in the movie.

Chan once witnessed the peak years of Hong Kong films and busy work of kungfu stuntmen. According to him, these kungfu stuntmen have not been completely replaced. Although many actions can be completed with technology and special effect computers, many bottom actions, including climbing, being hit by an arrow and falling down stairs, still need kungfu stuntmen

generation after generation. Jackie Chan wins so much respect with hard work for 60 years, bringing audiences countless good action films where he risked his life for action scenes. In recent years, Jackie Chan has also expressed his support for the behind-thescenes kungfu stuntmen. At the premiere, Chan talked about his early career as a martial arts fighter, when he insisted on shooting even kneeling in a wheelchair due to injuries and fractures. Deeply touched by the script for RIDE ON, Chan decided to star the movie even after being injected with anesthesia needle and delaying surgery. Director Yang Zi said that it was his admiration for Jackie Chan that motivated

him to produce such a movie. The most impressive to us is that kungfu stuntmen risked their life to complete dangerous actions. A group of brave men who dare to fight have created many classic scenes for the Chinese film industry. Kungfu stuntmen would pull off the most dangerous stunts in kungfu films and gangster films, and many are permanently disabled as a result. Jackie Chan told us in an interview that many kungfu stuntmen faced difficulties in their later years. The new generation of martial arts directors will avoid too dangerous actions to be performed by actors, "I used to require myself and my family to complete the actions no matter how dangerous, which is

impracticable in today’s films.”

An excellent action movie is not just about fighting and killing, but can tell a good story with action scenes, so that the audience can not only be thrilled by action scenes, but also see the character of the roles. This part needs to be designed by

the action director and kungfu stuntmen together. Whether the fighting actions are wide open or are ingenious, and heavy swords or vicious and cunning weapons are used, all of these facilitate character portraying outside of the script. For example, Zhang Jin, who plays

the warden in SPL 2: A TIME FOR CONSEQUENCES, is impressive. Unlike Tony Jaa and Wu Jing with a straight style, Zhang's actions are cleverly designed and vicious, and needles are used by him to inflict harm on the vital parts of his opponents. Several fight scenes in the movie were designed to shape the character of wardenry and give the audience a more concrete understanding of his cruelness. Action scenes can help shape characters or express actors.

Jackie Chan pioneered the genre of action comedy in his 60-year career. Instead of stopping now, he chooses to help the younger

JC Stunt members

Jackie Chan in 1985

generation as their foil, so as to send talents to Chinese action movies and build a bright future of Chinese action movies. As a joke goes, you should never fight with Jackie Chan in a furniture market. Jackie Chan and his Stunt members always excel in the use of props and are able to design a myriad of clever and witty combat moves around a single car. Capable of changing positions freely between props, he has brought the world countless hilarious actions that are an imminent peril.

KUNGFU STUNTMEN, a documentary in 2021, gave a systematic review of kungfu stuntmen in Hong Kong. Edited by Hong Kong film expert Wei Junzi after collecting information and conducting interviews with a lot of efforts, this documentary displayed the

changes experienced by kungfu stuntmen in Hong Kong over six decades. It interviewed with directors and stunt coordinators like Tsui Hark, Siu-Tung Ching and Woo-ping Yuen, kungfu superstars like Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung and Donnie Yen as well as filmmakers like Wah Yuen and Siu-hou Chin who were former kungfu stuntmen. They shared their experience, talked about the glory of the past and said their health conditions are not strong enough for more martial arts.

“This group is doing something that no one has ever done before or since.” After interviewing more than 100 veterans of martial arts, Director of KUNGFU STUNTMEN Wei

Junzi lamented, "Hong Kong’s action movies are a treasure, with a hard-to-replace fighting

spirit." In those days, a group of kungfu stuntmen risked their lives to complete unrestrained and fantastic actions without any insurance, raising the banner of “Oriental Hollywood” in Hong Kong.

Although the audiences are reluctant to see kungfu stuntmen grow old or even disappear in films, it is no longer realistic to create wonderful scenes with martial arts in the flesh as the film industry develops rapidly. The title of “kungfu stuntmen” originated from Cantonese opera. This group gradually became known as Hong Kong films were thriving in the 1970s and 1980s, with an annual production of more than 100 movies by Shaw Brothers, Golden Harvest and Cinema City. At its peak time, more than a dozen studios were

shooting simultaneously. Only thrill-seeking commercial films produced in a rough way require kungfu stuntmen to perform a large number of dangerous actions without protection.

Now, with a declining number of Hong Kong films and a changing taste for action movies, kungfu stuntmen are being replaced by professional stuntmen subject to more safety precautions, supplemented by special effects for too dangerous action and scenes. This model featuring less thrill can better protect action actors and stunt

men and prolong their careers in the arts. The verisimilitude is enhanced by constantly refined special effects, which is also understood and accepted by a new generation of young actors and audiences.

Kungfu stuntmen contribute to action films with topnotch action design and choreography, and complete extremely dangerous actions in person through hand-to-hand combat. From the stage to the background, kungfu stuntmen have presented numerous wonderful action scenes and

formed a combatant spirit, which guided Jackie Chan in his film career of more than 60 years. No matter how dangerous the actions, Chan has never hesitated. However, films like RIDE ON don’t advocate Jackie Chan already near seventy to keep on fighting. Instead, it praises the valuable work ethic of older-generation kungfu stuntmen and stresses this needs to be inherited and carried forward by young actors.

(Editor: Guan Yu)

Still @ RIDE ON

Still @ KUNGFU STUNTMEN

Poster of KUNGFU STUNTMEN

Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Film Industry 人工智能与电影产业的未来

The booming of artificial intelligence technology has set off craze in many markets, including the film and television entertainment industry. On the one hand, people relish the improved efficiency brought by AI technology to the industry; on the other hand, many people are pessimistic about the impact of artificial intelligence on the industry.

At present, artificial intelligence has influenced content production and distribution mode in an allround way, such as script

writing, film production, special effects, audience preference analysis, language translation and distribution modes.

According to media reports, a company called Flawless uses generative artificial intelligence technology to adjust actors’ facial expressions and sync their lips, so as to solve the problem that actors’ lips are out of sync with dubbing when viewers watch foreign movies. This artificial intelligence technology can not only reduce the translation cost of movies, but also help when actors mispronounce lines,

thus reducing the possibility of remaking the film, greatly improving the production efficiency and cutting the production cost.

Enlight Media, a wellknown Chinese film production company, announced that it would adapt the novel GO TO YOUR ISLAND into an animated film, and released the first poster of the film. This poster was made by AI. Enlight Media said that besides posters, AI will also deeply engage in the development and production of this film.

It is said that Midjournney,

Stable Diffusion and the newly released GPT4 model are used in the poster making process. The designer assigns the design concept and keywords, uses ChatGPT to improve the instructions, and then inputs the instructions into Midjournney. After generating pictures, the instructions are constantly modified and fine-tuned based on the effects. Finally, the local adjustments are made with Stable Diffusion. And a poster is completed with the cooperation of designers and artificial intelligence. However, it is rare to use AI to make movie posters in China’s film industry.

In an internal letter to employees, Wang Changtian, chairman of Enlight Media, shared his views on the prospects of AI application in the film industry. He said that the new technology represented by AI creates unlimited potential for content creation and called on employees to “embrace this new era”. Compared with liveaction movies, the combination of animated movies and AI has unparalleled advantages. The initiative of Enlight Media may usher in a period of AIGC’s

disruption of the film and television industry.

From AI painting to ChatGPT, the possibility of AIGC + film and television is emerging. The industry believes that AI will achieve breakthrough development of film and television content in

three aspects: assisting creation, reducing costs and increasing efficiency, and enhancing visual experience.

At the end of January, 2023, Netflix released an animated film THE DOG AND THE BOY with AI being involved in production. This is the first

The poster made by AI

Admissions of the Chinese Films in Q1 from 2018 to 2023

Maximum box office day: 1.358 billion Yuan on January 22, 2023

Minimum box office day: 16.92 million Yuan on March 9, 2023

Top3 film proportion in Q1: 63.4%

Box Office Top 10 Films in Q1 of 2023

Source: Top Database

Screenings of the Chinese Films in Q1 from 2018 to 2023

Box Office Summary of Q1

Box office of imported films in Q1: 1.92 billion Yuan

Numbers of films released in Q1: 76

Box office of films released in Q1: 15.858 billion Yuan

Source: Top Database

Box office ROI of imported films: 12.1%

Imported films released in Q1: 16

Box office ROI of domestic films: 87.9%

Box office of domestic films in Q1: 13.93 billion Yuan

Domestic films released in Q1: 60

Monthly Box Office in Q1 from 2018 to 2023

Box Office Share of Different Genres Films from 2018 to 2023

Source: Top Database

The three-month box office in the first quarter of 2023 is respectively 10.09 billion Yuan, 3.86 billion Yuan and 1.91 billion Yuan. In January, due to the continuous hot films during the Chinese New year, the box office boosts.

Box Office of Films with Different Modes in Q1 of 2023

Box Office TOP 10 Cinemas in Q1 of 2023

Source: Top Database

Number of Films with Different Modes in Q1 of 2023

Wanda Cinemas of Tongzhou Branch

Jinyi Cinema Beijing Chaoyang Joycity Branch

Jinyi Cinema & IMAX

Bona International Cinema

Dajiaoting IMAX

Wanda Cinemas of SM Branch

Box Office TOP 10 Cinemas Lines in Q1 of 2023

Box Office TOP 10 Cities in Q1 of 2023

Box Office of Cities at Various Tiers in Q1 of 2023

Box Office TOP 10 Provinces in Q1 of 2023

Falling in Love with A City Because of A Movie, TALE OF THE NIGHT 一部电影一座城：《长沙夜生活》

By Wulanna

TALE OF THE NIGHT, a film

produced by Peter Chan and Zhao Xiaoshi and written and directed by Zhang Ji, was aired in mainland China in the past May Day Holiday. This movie puts spotlight on

the struggling youth of this city, and shows different joys and sorrows of ordinary people that are happening every night. A night in Changsha is just an unremarkable night for contemporary Chinese youth that fuses their dream

and confusion, pressure and hesitation, as well as alcohol and love, rebellion and introspection. It is a true portrayal of Chinese youth.

The movie TALE OF THE NIGHT has successfully identified the most unique and

charming features of Changsha and vividly displayed its nightlife scene. This movie is a tourist guide of Changsha that not only presents the city’s famous attractions such as Yuelu Academy and Orange Isle, but also brings a variety of mouth-watering food such as stinky tofu and stir-fried beef. It is a brand new promotional film of Changsha as the audience can follow this movie to listen to dialogues in Changsha dialect and walk on its streets. Co-created by the people of Changsha, TALE OF THE NIGHT represents a vigorous exploration of the mode of "film + cultural tourism”, said the producer. We hope to set a typical case and enhance the

reputation of Changsha through our movie.

With Changsha City as its leading actor, this movie has attracted wide attention. This movie was shot in places that can fully and deeply display diverse styles and cultural customs of Changsha City.

Famous landmarks including Yuelu Academy, Orange Isle, Huangxing South Road Pedestrian Commercial Street and Changsha Railway Station all appeared on the big screen; old streets engraving the mark of time such as Taiping Street and Chaozong Street as well as must-visit sites for the new generation such as Meixi Lake City Island and Malanshan Duckbill Park were

also involved in the movie’s story. Delicious food, a vivid label of “Internet celebrity city Changsha”, is also presented in this movie. Several popular dining places such as Benluobo Liuyang Restaurant and Changsha Wenheyou are a full reflection of the hustle and bustle of Changsha. In addition to displaying rich flavor of life, it also highlights the city’s bookish atmosphere by shooting in a distinctive physical bookstore named “Changsha Day+Night”. Though located in the downtown, it provides people with another place for their soul to dwell in the hustle and bustle.

Zhang Ji, the movie’s director, sought to tell a story

of "One Family in Changsha", covering all the locals and foreigners who work and live in the city. To better record urban nightlife, it requires vivid and natural character reflection. During thirty-two late nights shot in Changsha, many street scenes were filmed with hidden cameras, which very tested the actors' ability to improvise. “There would be people recognizing us and taking pictures. But our policy is to shoot as much as we can for subsequent editing.” It was also a fresh experience for Zhang Ji to get out of the photostudio and shoot on the street. “Extras were unable to reflect real experience and reaction of nightlife. We tried our best to keep it real.” Zhang holds that performance requires resonance

on both sides. The crew visited the streets of Changsha day and night for a month, seeing many touching moments that outpour people’s true feelings. Due to long night shooting, the actors looked tired in the camera. But Zhang Yi said, “This tired effect is what I pursued because Everyone who is trying to make a living is tired and lonely, with something weighing on their mind. But they also have a desire to love and be loved, to reconcile and to be together.”

Zhang Yi said, “We can see too many foreign films named after a city, but the number is smaller in China, let alone those that show the spirit of a

city. Every city can open itself by multiple means, among which movie is one of them. The step taken by us today is of pioneering significance for urban movies.”

Changsha is favored by many film and television productions for shooting, including popular TV series in mainland China like DRAW THE LINE, LEFT RIGHT and CRIME CRACKDOWN, and blockbuster movies like CLOSE TO LOVE.

Shot in Changsha in early 2022, the movie CLOSE TO LOVE tells the story of two young people from a small town in Hunan Province who support each other on their

journey of growth and learn to cherish the moment. In a close-to-two-month period, 66 scenes of the movie were shot in Changsha sites we are familiar with, including Changsha Railway Station, Changsha IFS, Huangxing Square, Orange Isle Bridge, Xiangjiang Middle Road and Beichen Delta. The audience can witness the "Changsha romance" of two movie protagonists. Many of its scenes were shot in the landmark sites of Hunan Normal University, including Yuewangting Road, Wenyuan Building, Athletic Field and Taozihu Rd. Youyan Street. According to the movie’s production team, the original intention of setting Changsha as the background is to have the audience learn about Changsha and feel the romance of people living here through this movie. Boasting beautiful university campus, tall buildings and old streets full of life, it is

a place suitable to show the transformation of the hero and heroine’s identities from campus to society as well as their inner emotional changes from immature to mature over the years.

Thanks to its presence in excellent film and TV series, Changsha has become one of the most popular cities recommended by Internet celebrities during the May Day Holiday. During the five-day holiday, Changsha is one of the mostly frequently visited cities

in China, attracting a large number of tourists, according to the data of Ctrip and other platforms.

By well telling stories, highquality movies and TV series can make audiences yearn for the place of story and connect emotionally with cities they have never visited before. Falling in love with a city because of a movie, which will become the biggest surprise behind the screen.

(Editor: YANG Lihong)

Night street in Changsha