Held yearly excessive within the Tibetan plains, the FIRST Worldwide Movie Competition prides itself on being an Discovery Movie Competition and is called China’s Sundance Movie Competition.
However famed Chinese language filmmaker Guan Hu (“Mr. Six,” “Black Canine”) dealt a blow to FIRST organizers on Sunday when, as chairman of the principle competitors jury, he refused to announce the very best image winner.
“It isn’t that I did not see any good motion pictures, it is simply that the general choice of motion pictures wasn’t daring sufficient,” Guan mentioned on stage. In different feedback, Mr. Guan mentioned that the pageant has a historical past of 18 years and will have reached a mature age now, however in truth it nonetheless must develop.
Happily, the jury did determine on many different awards. These embrace “June Track”, which gained the Jury Prize, and “Chengzi No. 1”, which gained the Innovation Spirit Award.
In current editions, FIRST has chosen and launched Chinese language movies which have achieved nice success internationally. These embrace “Drifting” by Li Jun and “Dwelling within the Fuchun Mountains” by Gu Xiaogang. Different notable figures who attribute their success to FIRST and Xining embrace Wen Muye (“I am Not the God of Drugs”), Zhang Dalei (“Summer time Is Gone”) and the late Hu Bo (“The Elephant Sitting on the Flooring”).
And its advertising arm “First Mart” will undoubtedly declare to have performed an vital function in shaping “Killing the Mongolian Horse”, a Malaysian, Hong Kong, American, Korean and Japanese co-production directed by Jiang Xiaoxuan that can premiere as a full model .
FIRST was based by Track Wen in 2006 and was initially headquartered in Beijing earlier than transferring to the Qinghai Plateau in 2011. effort.
Contributors this yr embrace Jinxiu Tradition Leisure’s Zhang Miao, in addition to others from Lianrui Footage, Comfortable Mahua (though the corporate canceled its scheduled press convention), Tingdong Footage and Comfortable Footage.
From July 20 to twenty-eight, guests can take pleasure in a smorgasbord of movies from China’s first, second or third characteristic movie administrators, characteristic movies, chosen shorts, a venture market and a “First Body” aspect for girls. column. Moreover, director Lou Ye serves as figurehead for a mentoring occasion wherein brief movie makers can create a brand new brief movie throughout the week-long pageant.
Xining’s disadvantages embrace a smaller native base than in metropolitan cities like Beijing or Shanghai, making it extra reliant on industrial sponsorship than ticket gross sales. Main supporters of FIRST this yr embrace cell phone producer Vivo, style homes and Chanel
The pageant additionally takes a novel strategy to programming. As a substitute of sustaining a year-round programming crew, FIRST creates a brief crew of filmmakers, critics, trade professionals and even programmers from different movie festivals annually to make choices. This may end up in uneven high quality.
The unpredictability of the lineup could also be one of many the explanation why the pageant will not be favored by some home media in China. “If there is a good film, I win,” mentioned one consultant who has attended a number of occasions however requested anonymity. others have advised sort The chance to find gems and get forward of everybody else is on the coronary heart of FIRST’s attraction.
2024 FIRST Worldwide Movie Competition Awards
characteristic movie
Finest Movie Award: Not awarded
Free Spirit Award: 「Chengzi_1,」 dir. Fu Zongsheng
Finest Screenplay: Zhang Yudi’s “The Legend of Midsummer Night time”
Finest Creative Originality: “small village”
Finest Actor: Huang Jingyi in “Fish Bone”
Jury Prize: “June Crusing Track”
Particular point out: “Dreamers within the Jungle”
Finest Director: Jiang Yuzhi for “Shards”
Finest Documentary: “Unstoppable”
brief movie
Finest Animated Brief Movie: “Sweet,” dir. Yingxun
Finest Brief Movie: “Extracurricular actions”
Particular point out: “Baozhda: (Kazakh Story) dir. Click on on Abu Qasim.
