Exclusive dialogue | interview with Xie Fei, a leading figure in China's fourth generation of film directors

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CCTV News: On May 28, 2021, at the 15th FIRST Youth Film Festival "Film, Future" press conference, CCTV Quick Watch interviewed the famous director Xie Fei. Xie Fei is a representative figure of the fourth generation of Chinese directors, and his representative works include "Xiangnu Xiaoxiao", "The Year of Life", "Black Horse" and so on. The feature film "XiangNu Xiaoxiao", as one of the directors, won the "Golden Panda" award at the Montporière Film Festival in France in 1988 and the "Don Quixote" award at the 1988 San Sebastian Film Festival in Spain. The director's feature film "The Year of The Life" won the "Silver Bear Award" for outstanding personal achievement at the 40th Berlin International Film Festival in 1990 and the Best Feature Film Award at the "Hundred Flowers Award" of "Popular Film" in 1990.

CCTV: How do you view the changes in the FIRST Youth Film Festival in recent years? Compared with other film festivals at home and abroad, what are its particularities?

Xie Fei: The FIRST Youth Film Festival, which started with a short film for students and then slowly went to long films, the main purpose is to discover new people. I was probably the fifth to be the chairman of the jury, and I found that they were indeed a good supporter of the debut of young directors. And this thing, which can be made into a feature film, is a milestone for the growth of a young director.

CCTV Reporter: You once said that you want to make a movie that can be retained, what type of movie can be left behind?

Xie Fei: Like Chinese films, from 1905 to the present, tens of thousands of movies have been made. But now, for example, some historians, especially before 1949, mentioned that it is "Goddess", that is, "Spring in a Small Town", in fact, these two movies, maybe "Goddess" was OK that year, because it had a star named Ruan Lingyu. "Spring in a Small Town" was basically unwatched after filming in 1948, but its culture and oriental charm were discovered decades later. Therefore, the film that can be left behind is its artistic style, especially its ability to express, and it can explore the value of human nature as human existence, so some themes that are not limited by the times.

CCTV reporter: Fictional stories cannot show the real society, in your opinion, what is the charm of film realism?

Xie Fei: Realistic realism may still be the strength of the film art form, and it is easy to achieve that the audience is moved and understood. And imagination and romance in the past we were at that time, film to do stunts is simply difficult, not very good to make. But now it is true that digital technology you are out of the blue, including the so-called many fantasy, what psychedelic, costume films have, but those things look too much, you will find that the audience has aesthetic fatigue, but it is not convincing. What really moves the audience is the real things, emotions and thoughts that you express through these things.

CCTV: You have been watching movies and writing notes since you were in high school, why do you still insist on writing film reviews on social platforms?

Xie Fei: The Internet is too convenient, I also watch a lot of People on Douban, write these looks and feels, I think a lot of writing is very professional, especially they put forward a lot of different views and materials, so that your understanding of the movie is richer. Then, I also contributed my views and had a communication with netizens, which I think is a very good thing.

CCTV: What suggestions do you have for young film creators?

Xie Fei: That is to say, we must understand that after the digital technology is available, audiovisual means are an indispensable means of expression and tool for human beings. You have to turn off the words (over), sweep the illiteracy, and you will use words to express. Not everyone is a writer, but when you have all the audiovisual means, not everyone is a good director and a good screenwriter, so humanistic cultivation and cultural cultivation are very critical. As for whether you have this talent, whether you have this opportunity, it is up to you to discover it.