Author: Qi Chunjie
On the evening of April 20, the 9th Beijing International Film Festival came to an end. In the list of winners of the "Temple of Heaven Award" of the film festival, although the Chinese films "The Eleventh Time" and "The Wandering Earth" were shortlisted and won the Best Supporting Actress Award and the Best Visual Effects Award, the works of more international filmmakers and the names of more international filmmakers have become the most eye-catching highlights of this international film festival. The host has few awards and light weight, and the outstanding overseas films and filmmakers who participated in the competition returned home with honors, showing the international style of this film festival from one side. I commented on this film festival in eight words: leave some suspense, leave some surprises.
Over the years, I have seen a lot of domestic sections with the word "international", most of them are playing by themselves, one is not able to attract works with international standards to participate in the evaluation; the other is to mainly take care of the local, heavy awards are their own, the vision is not large. Then, who attended, who won the prize, and did not give the award, the result is known. It's boring.
I want to say that there is suspense, there is charm; there is surprise, there is poetry, there is room for imagination, only stimulation, only a sense of participation, only an affinity. The Danish film "Lucky Bill" won the "Temple of Heaven Award" For Best Film; the Hungarian and French film "Sunset" won the "Temple of Heaven Award" For Best Director; the Greek film "Waiter" Aris Seftalis won the "Temple of Heaven Award" For Best Actor; the British, Iranian and Dutch film "Tehran: City of Love" Fruger Ketzebergery won the "Temple of Heaven Award" Best Actress Award; the Best Cinematography Award was won by Nick S. Pullivan from the Indian film "Fear", which is a bit of a surprise for the general audience. It is a "mystery" that cannot be guessed, and it is these accidents that unconsciously open up the field of vision.
There is suspense to have expectations, and there is suspense to have mystery. Who turned out? Don't reveal, don't know. Leave some suspense for the audience, leave some surprises for the filmmakers. Surprises make them cry with joy and give them professional dignity. Surprises make everyone dream.
Suspense is not deliberately created, and surprises are not deliberately pursued. There must be a standard, that is, ideological, artistic, ornamental. Choose the best of the best, the best of the best. I note that the jury of this year's Beijing Film Festival is chaired by the famous Chinese film director Wong Kar-wai, and the other six judges are the American film director and screenwriter Rob Cohen, the Chinese actor Duan Yihong, the Polish composer and producer Jenn Kazmellick, the Romanian film director Karin Pitt Netzel, the Swedish film director and screenwriter Ruben Ostlund and the Chinese actress Shu Qi. The lineup of judges makes the selection of the "Temple of Heaven Award" more authoritative. Then again, if it were not for the recognition of this film festival, how could these heavyweight and leading figures take the time and effort to participate? With the quality assurance of the judges, fairness, justice and openness, there will be a high quality of the selection results, only then will the audience be convinced, so that the filmmakers will be convinced, and only then will there be an international style and atmosphere.
Awards can't be small circles, and you can't play behind closed doors. I am reminded of the landscape poet Mr. Kong Fu's poem "Xiaoli on the Shore of the Yellow Sea": "The sea is a blue blanket / Friends from all over the world sit around / Come on / Cheers!" "What an open realm this is, what a lofty boldness. Art has no borders, and artists have a motherland. Film has no borders, the film festival has a host, and the organizer's mind and pattern determine the weight of the film festival.
Leaving some suspense and some surprises is to leave some imagination space for everyone, which is the blank space of Chinese painting. To do this, we must encourage individuality, respect individuality, publicize individuality, tolerate individuality, have personality, have suspense, surprises, and the film festival will become more and more vital.
For a movie, the benevolent see the benevolent, the wise see the wise; the radish cabbage, each has its own love, as long as the public heart, no selfishness is right. Treating art sincerely is the most precious. The ancients said: "Those who are sincere, those who choose good and stubborn." "The same is true of the awards.
The result is important, the wait is more important, because there is suspense, because there are surprises. (Qi ChunJie)