Hainan Island Film Festival Women’s Film Forum helps women’s films thrive

1905 movie network news On the evening of December 12, 2018, the first Hainan Island International Film Festival Women’s Film Forum was grandly held in Sanya. Renowned director Zhang Jiarui, film industry expert Yu Li, two well-known actors Mingdao and Ye Qing, and filmmaker Shen Tingzhao came to the scene to exchange ideas. Under the theme of "Constructing a Women’s Film World View from Zero", aiming at the development of women’s films, from the perspectives of creation and market, specific suggestions were put forward on how to create an excellent Chinese women’s film.

The first Hainan Island International Film Festival aims to "screen all year round, screen all over the island, watch movies by the whole people, and the whole industry chain". It has set up a variety of activities such as film screenings, forum summits, national filming attraction promotion exhibitions, and the 2019 new film promotion conference in the Chinese film market. It strives to create an international, academic, popular and never-ending international film festival.

In view of the fact that in recent years, many films focusing on women’s lives have been produced in the international film industry, such as films with female characters as the leading role, which have not only been recognized by the critics, but also achieved good box office results in China. At the same time, domestic filmmakers have also dedicated such films as "Carnival" and other realistic works focusing on women.

In this context, the first Hainan Island International Film Festival specially set up a women’s film forum, which was guided by the State Film Bureau, sponsored by the Hainan Provincial People’s Government, and jointly implemented by the Propaganda Department of the Hainan Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China, the People’s Government of Sanya City, the Hainan Provincial Film Bureau, and the Hainan Provincial Federation of Literary and Art Circles. It was organized by Hainan Island International Film Festival Co., Ltd., and implemented by Hainan Xiting Cultural Investment Co., Ltd., Jiazhuo (Beijing) Cultural Media Co., Ltd., and Beijing Yingchuangshi Cultural Media Co., Ltd.

Women’s films refer to films that focus on women’s lives and have a female perspective. The five guests invited to the forum conducted in-depth discussions on women’s films from various perspectives, including the history of women’s films, the comparison between Chinese women’s films and foreign women’s films, and the creation of current Chinese women’s films.

Zhang Jiarui, a director who has written and other women’s films, said that his creation is deeply influenced by his mother and director Xie Jin. His films talk about women’s pursuit of "freedom" and "love", which is often more powerful than men. This pursuit and persistence are often more powerful than men. Ms. Yu Li, a well-known scholar who has studied the film industry for many years, pointed out that recent women’s films reflect contemporary and urban nature, as well as female ideology.

Ming Dao and Ye Qing shared their observations on women around them from the perspective of actors, calling on women of any age to be more sincere and clear about themselves; producer Shen Tingzhao believes that women’s films in the past were more about the pursuit of freedom, while in recent years they have more reflections on the current situation of women’s survival and the choices they face. Finally, regarding the future of women’s films, several filmmakers all expressed their expectation to see more in-depth, real, and life-related women’s films with vitality.

The first Hainan Island International Film Festival Women’s Forum responded to the film festival’s theme of focusing on women and gathered filmmakers from all walks of life to put forward many valuable opinions for the creation of Chinese women’s films. At the same time, all parties are expected to work together to expand the establishment of "Women’s Film Week" during the next Hainan Island International Film Festival. It is believed that with the joint efforts of the forum and the film festival, creators will continue to bring more excellent female films to the audience.