On August 29, the 6th China Film New Power Forum was held in Changchun, Jilin. Mao Yu, executive deputy director of the Central Propaganda Film Bureau, attended the forum and delivered a speech.
Mao Yu, executive deputy director of the Central Propaganda Film Bureau
The following is the main content:
Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, the film industry has thoroughly studied and implemented Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, implemented the spirit of a series of important instructions and instructions issued by General Secretary Xi Jinping on film work, resolutely implemented the decision-making arrangements of the Party Central Committee on film work, and focused on the central , Serving the overall situation, down-to-earth, overcoming difficulties, forging ahead, and achieved hard-won achievements. Especially after the end of the three-year epidemic, a large number of excellent movies rushed to be released first, which not only created a movie-watching craze and market growth for the Spring Festival and summer movies this year, but also brought audiences of different ages from all over the country back to the theaters, and once again built the The close connection between Chinese films and audiences. Approved by the leaders of the ministry, we restarted the China Film New Forces Forum, bringing everyone together to discuss ideas, listen to opinions, and discuss together. How to shoulder the mission, be brave in innovation, gather strength and work hard in enhancing the influence of film culture.
"New Power of Chinese Film" has gone through nearly 10 years. In the past ten years, the new forces of Chinese film have grown vigorously. Ning Hao, Wu Jing, Guan Hu, Wu Ershan, Chen Sicheng, Xu Zheng, Han Yan, Guo Fan, Xue Xiaolu, Lu Yang, Rao Xiaozhi, Cheng Er, Wen Muye, Dapeng, Tian Xiaopeng, A large number of directors and screenwriters such as Zhao Ji, Zhang Ji, Dong Runnian, Chen Shu, and Ran Jianan stand out. They have created a large number of works that have received wide acclaim in the market in recent years, and have gradually grown from a new force in Chinese film to the backbone of Chinese film. In recent years, they have actively participated in the creation of key films, "My Motherland and Me", "My Hometown and Me", "My Fathers and Me", "King Kong River", "The Wandering Earth", "The King of the Sky", "Miracle Stupid Children", "Enthusiasm", "The Way Back Thousands of Miles", "No Name", "Holding You Through the Cold Winter", etc., have promoted the core values with the distinctive features of new mainstream films, and won the support and praise of the audience; Film art expression, innovative use of film technology, "Feng Shen", "Detective Chinatown", "I'm Not the God of Medicine", "Send You A Little Red Flower", "Assassination of Novelists", "Three Thousand Miles of Chang'an", "New God List: Yang Jian ", "Deep Sea", "Bear Infested" and so on continue to enrich the product supply of the film market; they actively cultivate new film talents with their own creative experience, such as Bad Monkey, Seven Impressions, Yitong Production, Dream General, etc., have formed a relatively mature talent discovery training system. The emergence and growth of new forces has brought new changes in film form, genre and discourse, brought new attempts in film investment and financing models, brought new possibilities for media integration and cross-border talents, and has become a glorious and important symbol of the prosperity and development of Chinese films. Dreams have accumulated valuable resources for the future of Chinese films.
At present, the party leads the people of all ethnic groups in the country to stride forward towards the second centenary goal. The burden of building a powerful film country in 2035 and the mission of building a modern civilization of the Chinese nation have historically fallen on the shoulders of the younger generation of filmmakers. In this context, let’s talk about the new power of film, which has richer connotations than before: the new power is no longer fighting for survival, but a new power that tells Chinese stories well and enhances the soft power of Chinese culture. ; to become a new force that improves the industrial structure and innovates and develops kinetic energy; becomes a new force that promotes the healthy development and continuous progress of Chinese films;
Since the beginning of this year, the film industry has overcome the major blow brought to us by the three-year epidemic, and regained its confidence in development and prosperity with tenacious vitality. The emotional connection between Chinese films and Chinese audiences is growing day by day, and the two-way movement reflects the achievements of the high-quality development of domestic films and the cultural confidence that Chinese audiences are increasingly proud of. In the face of achievements, we should stick to the problem orientation, keep a clear mind, and find the deficiencies and gaps. To do this, we need to realize that:
The power of a film country lies not only in the number of screens and the high box office, but also in the ability of artistic innovation, market expansion, technology application, the influence of film works and the soft power of film culture. A strong film country requires films to play a leading and leading role in social, cultural and economic life, to highlight the beauty of ideals, beliefs, and sublime, and to inspire the people to move toward the future with vigor and vitality; it must have a strong role in stimulating economic and social development. At present, film creation still cannot meet the needs of the audience, and cannot give back to the expectations of more and more Chinese film "tap water people" for excellent films; Chinese film production, distribution, screening, ticket sales platforms and other links mainly rely on Cinema box office, still do not know how to convert online and offline traffic into greater value, and have not found an effective way to make profits in the development of post-products; in the field of investment and financing, on the one hand, the degree of specialization of investment entities is not high The entry of non-professional capital into the film industry has brought about an undesirable trend of quick success and shoddy production. On the other hand, due to the impact of the economic environment, investment and financing difficulties have become more prominent this year. The enthusiasm and confidence of capital for films still need a longer period of recovery. Behind all of this, all kinds of talents needed for film creation and film economy are still short boards and bottlenecks restricting progress and development.
Secondly, a strong film country cannot be strong at home and weak overseas, or good at home but unable to go out. After 30 years of reforms to adapt to the market economy and fierce market competition with American films after joining the WTO, the film industry has finally embarked on a confident development path. This year, in the competition between domestic films and imported films, the market share has exceeded 80%. In the world film box office rankings, China and the United States have kept pace this year, and the gap has narrowed to about 200 million US dollars, leaving foreign films far behind. . But these have not changed the shortcomings of Chinese films' difficulty in going global. In recent years, Chinese films have been simultaneously released and screened overseas. More audiences are still Chinese, and it is difficult to enter the field of vision of foreign mainstream audiences. They are far less influential than Chinese material products in the global market. This is in line with our goal of building a powerful film country. Big difference. In this regard, how should young film workers take up the mission on their shoulders? I would like to take this opportunity to share some thoughts with you.
First, get out of the ego, embrace the times, and tell Chinese stories well. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out profoundly: "The literature and art of any era can only make a deafening voice if it is closely connected with the country and the nation and shares weal and woe." Standing at a new starting point in history, focus on the mainstream of the times, grasp the pulse of the times, and gain insight into the times It is the proposition and mission of the times for Chinese films to tell Chinese stories well and spread Chinese voices well. We hope that young film workers will integrate into the torrent of the times, tell Chinese stories well through films, and enhance the construction of the modern civilization of the Chinese nation through films. The movies we want to see are movies supported by wonderful stories under the guidance of correct value orientation, movies that can accurately express the hope of the times and the expectations of the people in the face of complex life, and movies that can create a durable film with fresh ideas. Movies with vivid characters that stand the test of time are movies that can shine with the light of the times' thinking in the spectacle of light and shadow. Only in this way can young film workers find their own value, the films they produce can have the power of cultural people, and can they establish the spiritual coordinates of films in the process of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.
Second, have the audience in mind, be grateful to the audience, and enhance the film's ability to resonate. When the Film Bureau launched the "New Forces of Chinese Films", it also put forward the slogan "Films and audiences are together" and used it as a distinctive label for the new forces, which continues to this day. This is an advocacy, but also a spirit. I sincerely hope that young film workers will have an audience in their hearts, adhere to a people-centered creative orientation, and produce films that can vividly reflect the people’s yearning and pursuit of a better life. They must deeply tap into the people’s rich and moving inner world, and The true feelings depict the people's value pursuit and persistence of truth, goodness and beauty, making the film resonate with the people's creative practices and thoughts and emotions, and truly "write for the people, express emotions for the people, and express feelings for the people." "Films and audiences are together" also requires us to continuously promote and deepen the reform of the film market, fully meet the viewing needs of the audience, and establish a closer interactive relationship between movies and audiences.
Third, based on China, look at the world, and grow and expand in the open. Facing the world's greatest changes unseen in a century, we hope that young film workers will uphold the cultural tradition of openness, tolerance, and inclusiveness, build a Chinese film narrative system, use the exchange and integration of films to break the "clash of civilizations" theory, and show the world that they are credible, lovable, and trustworthy. , Respectable image of China. Young filmmakers grew up during China's reform and opening up period, and you have a natural advantage in solving cultural differences. I hope that the films you produce will have a richer world expression of Chinese stories, use cultural commonality to overcome barriers of history and national conditions, and find a form of artistic expression that can be accepted by world audiences. We also hope that young film workers will follow Huawei's early spirit of fighting to open up markets around the world and strive to establish a smooth and effective distribution and sales network for overseas Chinese films, so that domestic films can be regularly screened in overseas theaters through market means.
Fourth, work together to form a joint force to strengthen the foundation of the film industry. Movies are an economy with a highly developed industrial chain, and creation is the leader. Only by supporting each other in a strong industrial chain can a complete industrial structure be built. At present, structural, regular, and conceptual problems in the film market still exist. For example, the traditional unified distribution method for all theaters is no longer suitable for the increasingly personalized viewing needs and diversified creative landscape of the audience. Breakthroughs must be achieved in the differentiated distribution and screening model of segmentation and line-based; blockbusters and strong films The phenomenon of concentrated screenings during holidays still exists, the regulatory mechanism for balanced and reasonable schedules and film schedules has not yet matured, and the market potential has not been fully exploited. We must continue to work hard on the creation and construction of weekend slots; the box office revenue will be divided between the production side and the market side. The proportion has lagged behind the actual development of the film industry, the creative side has insufficient blood, and the industrial chain is disconnected and mismatched. It is necessary to conduct in-depth research in the field of distribution and form more reasonable distribution rules through market competition; driven by economic interests, omissions and concealment of reports are , The phenomenon of pirated recording and pirated broadcasting has existed for a long time, which seriously interferes with the healthy development of Chinese films. It is necessary to further strengthen the construction of the credit system and supporting laws and regulations. In addition, the scientific and technological innovation and industrialization process of Chinese films is still at a late stage, and there is a long way to go to realize the high-level technological self-reliance and self-improvement of films. These also require young film workers to carry forward the fighting spirit of the older generation of filmmakers who worked hard to reform and fight their way through the cracks, and to solve one problem after another on the way forward!
General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out in the report of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China: "Strong youth will make the country strong. Contemporary Chinese youth are born at the right time, the stage for displaying their talents is extremely broad, and the prospects for realizing their dreams are extremely bright... The majority of young people must remain firm and unswerving Listen to the Party and follow the Party, embrace dreams and be down-to-earth, dare to think and act and do well, and be determined to be good young people in the new era who have ideals, dare to take responsibilities, endure hardships, and are willing to work hard, so that youth can play an important role in building a modern socialist country in an all-round way. Brilliant flowers bloom in fiery practice." For Chinese films, if the new power is strong, the film will be strong; if the new power is strong, the film industry will have a bright future and is full of hope. Let us forge ahead, forge ahead, and make greater contributions in the new journey of building a powerful film country!
(Excerpt from a speech at the 6th China Film New Power Forum)
