Just after 2:30 p.m. yesterday (June 17), the screening of the film "Breathless" at the 26th Shanghai International Film Festival ended. The door of the Shanghai Cinema SHO 1,000-seat Hall opened, and the crowd slowly walked out. The reporter saw that familiar figure again - Li Changnian, who played Su Hu in the 1990 version of "Investiture of the Gods". The 89-year-old was the first audience member to pick up a ticket for this year's Shanghai Film Festival.

Li Changnian

Being the "first person" to attend the Shanghai Film Festival is not just a matter of luck. Sitting in a cafe opposite the cinema, Li Changnian chatted with reporters for more than two hours, smiling and telling the story of an ordinary yet extraordinary movie fan's inextricable connection with this city.

"I have participated in the Shanghai International Film Festival 26 times; movies have been with me all my life."

Filmmakers nurtured and cultivated by the “City of Film”

Li Changnian has been watching movies all his life. He has a habit of recording every time he watches a movie. The content of the record is also simple, usually "on a certain day of a certain month, I watched a certain movie", and he has filled several notebooks with it.

He likes watching movies in the cinema and also likes watching movies during film festivals. He has attended all 26 Shanghai International Film Festivals.

Born and raised in Shanghai, the "city of movies", Li Changnian has an indissoluble bond with movies. When he was a child, he often went to the Paris Grand Theater (later renamed Huaihai Cinema) with his father to watch cartoons and children's films. He watched the Hengshan Cinema being built bit by bit, and naturally fell in love with performing arts.

Many people in his family are artists. His uncle Huang Yijun was the first director of the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra after the founding of New China. "When I was a child, I watched him compose music at home. One day, I saw a notebook on the table with "Crows and Sparrows" written on it. I asked my uncle curiously, is this a mythological film?" He later learned that it was a movie reflecting the reality of Shanghai in the old society. This year, the new Shanghainese dubbed version of "Crows and Sparrows" premiered at this year's Shanghai Film Festival. This important work in the history of Chinese film has a new era of vitality and shows the unique Shanghai style to young audiences. "If my uncle can see it, he will definitely be very happy."

As a teenager, Li Changnian entered the Shanghai People's Art Theater Actor Training School founded by Huang Zuolin, a drama and film artist. His classmates included Jiao Huang, Yang Zaibao, Liang Boluo, etc. "At that time, we learned basic skills such as drama performance, Kunqu opera, dance, and ballet. Huang Zuolin's wife Danny also came to teach us." The theater is located at No. 284 Anfu Road. When he was studying, Huang Zuolin's children would also come to play. Li Changnian remembers that Huang Zuolin's young daughter Huang Shuqin would show slides to them, the older children.

"Although I majored in acting, I didn't get involved in the film and television industry until I started working at Zhejiang Television Station in 1983." After finishing his studies at the academy, Li Changnian went to study at the Shanghai Theatre Academy, where he systematically studied acting with famous dramatists such as Xiong Fusi and Zhu Duanjun. After graduation, he worked at the Shanghai Youth Repertory Theatre, the Fujian Provincial Repertory Theatre and other units. When he started working at Zhejiang Television Station, "Little Li" had become "Old Li" in the eyes of his young colleagues.

At Zhejiang TV, Li Changnian directed and starred in the TV series "Hairstyle Forum", which was a realistic and pioneering work that was highly praised in the industry and earned him an olive branch from Shanghai TV at the age of 52. While serving as the head of the Shanghai TV Actors Troupe, Li Changnian filmed well-known TV series such as "Investiture of the Gods", "Shanghai Family", and "Family Spring and Autumn", and also played a cameo role in the movie "The Creation of the World" directed by Li Xiepu.

After the ticket sales for this year's film festival began, Li Changnian grabbed a ticket with the help of the cinema staff. Photo by Zhong Han

At this film festival, Li Changnian wants to watch many films such as "Metropolis", "Gaslight", "Breathless", "Three Nights in One House, Three Murders", etc. Turn to page 4 (Continued from page 1) Experts know the tricks. He especially praised the performances of Joseph Cotten, Ingrid Bergman, Charles Boyer and others in "Gaslight". "That is the performance method of Hollywood in the 1930s and 1940s. They speak softly and even a murderer seems amiable." These reminded him of Huang Zuolin's teachings in the past, "acting is actually the art of control."

"Chinese films have been getting better and better in the past two years"

On weekdays, Li Changnian is a frequent visitor to the cinema. Every two or three days, he would go to the nearest Xingfanghui Cinema or Baiying Sanke Cinema to watch a movie. As long as the movie is the latest one, he will go to the cinema.

"I like to watch stories that are original, unexpected, and beyond the audience's expectations." When talking about movies, he knows them like the back of his hand. He was impressed by the recent "Stunt Maniac" and "Swimmer's Heart"; he also liked the earlier "The Third Brigade" and "Article 20". "Chinese films have been getting better and better in the past two years. In the past, some comedy movies had very strange characters and even more exaggerated performances; but in the past two years, the actors' performances have become more realistic and the styling has become more lifelike."

Family members and relatives often advise the elderly Li Changnian not to go out to watch movies alone. He always waves his hands and refuses. Li Changnian said that although he is old, he is still a person who refuses to rest. When watching movies in the cinema or at the Shanghai Film Festival, in addition to watching the plot, he also ponders the editing techniques, thinking about why the director did not leave a frontal shot here, and why he used this method there.

"Watching movies can give us a lot to think about. We can keep learning as long as we live." At home, he would use his computer to edit the videos he took when traveling abroad, just like editing a movie, "I enjoy myself."

"Movies have been with me all my life. I have been exposed to and loved movies since I was a child. I watch movies when I am happy, and I also watch movies when I encounter difficulties and disappointments. Movies have simply become a means of regulating my life." As a loyal movie fan, Li Changnian hopes that the Shanghai International Film Festival will become better and better, and hopes that more and more young people will go to the cinema. He said that there are more and more cinemas in Shanghai, providing people with a rich cultural and entertainment life. "The Shanghai International Film Festival can broaden our horizons, introduce movies from all over the world to China and Shanghai, and add a bright light to Shanghai, the 'City of Movies'."

At the end of the interview, Li Changnian made an agreement with the reporter, "I will call you again when you come to the film festival next year."