As part of the Beijing International Film Festival, a “Young Filmmakers Forum” was recently held to spark debates among China’s new generation of directors and screenwriters. Based on the theme of “movies about social issues and artist statement,” it sought to unravel the intricate threads of contemporary filmmaking.
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By exploring various cinematic boundaries and artistic innovation, the forum reflected the creative spirit and vision of up-and-coming storytellers who are shaping the future of cinema. Among the highlights was a discussion about the recent surge of films that deal with social issues. In these, filmmakers courageously tackle real-life events and societal dilemmas via cinematic adaptation. This trend has not only challenged traditional storytelling norms but has redefined the role of filmmakers as catalysts for social change.
“When it comes to the artistic processing of realistic themes, I tend to focus more on how to make the content accessible to a wider audience. Social issue films can reflect the things around us and the emotions in our lives. Many people consider social issue films to be all about realism, but in my view, movies are an artistic expression that transcends reality. As an art form, film possesses a different kind of power beyond documentary literature or news reports,” said director Cui Rui.
Director and screenwriter Shan Dandan mentioned that the audience’s demands are not necessarily for you to tell them how novel an expression is, or to use new and fancy filming methods. Nowadays, some popular and appealing works focus on subjects that have largely been forgotten, or things in life that people overlook. She added that creators should focus on this non-mainstream content as it has unique value.