On May 8, 2023, the sudden death of the well-known director Wan Ma Tseidan attracted widespread attention, and many filmmakers and movie lovers expressed their condolences on the Internet. At the same time, as a picture accompanying many tweets, a photo of Wan Ma Tseden has also been widely reposted online. "I didn't expect the photo to be seen by the public because of this opportunity." Liu Dayan, the photographer of the photo, recently told the surging news reporter. Two months ago, Liu Dayan had not yet accepted the fact that Wan Ma left, but as time and photos spread, the condensed memories slowly emerged, and she also told the story behind these photos.
Wan Ma Tsedan, 2016. Liu Dayan Photo
On September 26, 2016, Wan Ma Tseidan was invited to the State University of New York for a film exchange, and through the introduction of Zhang Ling, a professor at the State University Purchiz Branch, Liu Dayan and Wan Ma Tsedan, who lived in New York, met. Like Wan Ma Tsedan, Liu Dayan graduated from the Beijing Film Academy and is also a documentary filmmaker and cinematographer. The two sides had a common topic, and before the meeting, Liu Dayan proposed to invite Wan Ma Tseidan to take a set of photos. "The reason is very simple, he is a director I admire very much." She said. Wan Ma readily agreed.
For that shooting, Liu Dayan remembers the costume he wore the most. "Before the shoot, Wan Ma consulted me on the costumes. I say, you decide. "Later, Wan Ma Tseden appeared in front of me wearing Tibetan clothing." His eyes shone when he wore that outfit, which may be my over-interpretation, but I think his image is very powerful, because he is proud of his people and his culture. "In a foreign land, people walking on the streets will inevitably have the vulnerability and sensitivity of losing their identity, but Wanma walking on the streets of New York in Tibetan clothes obviously has no such feelings, on the contrary, he is very proud." Because he knows exactly who he is and what he wants to do. Liu Dayan thought of Wan Ma Tsedan's film, "This is why he can make such a good movie." ”
Wan Ma Tsedan, 2016. Liu Dayan Photo
Wan Ma Tsedan, 2016. Liu Dayan Photo
Wan Ma Tsedan, 2016. Liu Dayan Photo
In Liu Dayan's heart, Wan Ma Caidan is such a shining person. "As a photographer, I have a desire to control when taking pictures, and as a director, Wan Ma should also have a strong desire to control, after all, as a director, he will consider many elements of the entire scene. In the shoot, I hope that I can be the leader and let Wanma cooperate with me to present the best results. Luckily, he was very cooperative. Liu Dayan said.
Wan Ma Tsedan, 2016. Liu Dayan Photo
Wan Ma Tsedan, 2016. Liu Dayan Photo
Wan Ma Tsedan, 2016. Liu Dayan Photo
The location was set by Liu Dayan, who said it was mainly because she wanted to take her like-minded friend to her favorite places. "The West Village in New York is the former home of Susan Sontag, Sontag is a person I like, we always say that people have an imagination and a complex in New York, and Wanma should be like me, he must understand my feelings and will definitely like this place, so I chose it." Even if it was the first time to meet, during the whole process, Liu Dayan felt very comfortable and natural for shooting, which is probably related to Wan Ma Tsedan's simple and amiable person.
Wan Ma Tsedan, 2016. Liu Dayan Photo
Wan Ma Tsedan, 2016. Liu Dayan Photo
There is also a set of photos with New York's subway station in the background. The subway gives people a sense of loneliness in a foreign land, and in New York, Liu Dayan often runs in Central Park, and she often puts on headphones and listens to Chinese movie lines. "It makes me very satisfied." She said. During filming that day, Wan Ma Tseidan and Liu Dayan were talking about movies on the subway, which was a completely different situation that overlapped with the lonely self evoked by the lines, "He sat next to me and talked about movies, which reminded me of the group of filmmakers in Beijing, even in a foreign country, but at that moment, you feel that you have to go back to your own place, and he gave me this feeling." "The appearance of Wan Ma Tseden in New York is like some kind of connection, connecting to the distant land of the motherland. This brief meeting and shooting made Liu Dayan feel "back to his own history".
Wan Ma Tsedan, 2016. Liu Dayan Photo
Wan Ma Tsedan, 2016. Liu Dayan Photo
Liu Dayan mentioned that more than two months ago, these photos were circulated on the Internet without a signature, which made her a little "hurt", but compared to this, she wanted to tell what kind of person Wan Ma Tseidan was. As for the set of photos he took, Liu Dayan preferred to describe it as "a record of the life of a friend meeting", "The moment we put down the camera, each of us is an ordinary person." "These images are pure for her, a reflection of her life, and a precious memory of a trip to the streets of New York with friends.
Wan Ma Tsedan, born in December 1969 in Guide County, Hainan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Qinghai Province, is a famous Chinese film director, excellent screenwriter and excellent writer. He has published many collections of Tibetan and Chinese novels, such as "Temptation", "Wujin's Teeth", and "The Story Is Only Half Told Story". His film works include "Quiet Mani Stone", "Looking for Zhimei Genden", "Old Dog", "Tharlo", "Hit a Sheep", "Balloon", etc., and has won the Best Screenplay Award at the Venice International Film Festival in Italy, the Best Film Award at the Brooklyn International Film Festival in the United States, the Best Directorial Debut Award at the Golden Rooster Award for Chinese Film, and the Best Adapted Screenplay Award at the Golden Horse Award in Taiwan.