Champion of the silver screen
After decades promoting Chinese movies, 70-year-old Italian producer and festival director takes up new roles in the country, Li Yingxue reports.
Fluent in Mandarin, and dressed in traditional Chinese style jacket, 70-yearold Marco Mueller wears a number of labels, including those of “film selector”, “film festival president”, “Italian film critic”, and “producer”. However, the most prominent label he wears is that of “China expert”.
Mueller’s journey began in 1975 when he became one of the first Italian students to study in China since the founding of New China. Over the past 50 years, his connection with the country has greatly deepened.
Having been a key figure in the Italian film industry, and the director of international film festivals like those of Venice and Rome, Mueller has helped bring outstanding work by directors such as Xie Jin, Tian Zhuangzhuang, Chen Kaige, Zhang Yimou and Jia Zhangke to the world, and is recognized as the person who introduced Chinese cinema to a global audience.
“I love Chinese cinema and want the world to see it,” says the Italian.
On Jan 14, the ninth Huilin Prize award ceremony, organized by the Huilin Foundation and the Academy for International Communication of Chinese Culture at Beijing Normal University, was held at the university’s Jingshi Hall.
Named after Huang Huilin, a senior professor of the university, the prize is awarded to one Chinese and one foreign national, each for their contributions to the international promotion of Chinese culture.
This year, Mueller was the foreign recipient. The citation praised him for his 40-plus years of contribution to Chinese cinema. As film selector, producer, and festival director, he has brought Chinese films to major international festivals, consistently raising their profile.
“Despite being in his 70s, Mueller’s keen eye for global film trends remains unwavering. He tirelessly promotes Chinese cinema, offering a broader perspective for local films. His efforts have contributed significantly to the international recognition of Chinese cinema and culture,” vice-president Zhou Zuoyu of Beijing Normal University says in acknowledgment of Mueller’s achievements.
Falling for films
Mueller began exploring Chinese culture, history, and language in Italy when he was 16. In 1975, he arrived in Shenyang, capital of Liaoning province, to study literature at Liaoning University.
His studies, particularly under Professor Wang Xiangfeng, an expert in classical aesthetics, left a lasting impact on Mueller, who soon discovered Chinese films. He’d repeatedly watch classics like Tunnel Warfare and Mine Warfare. It was then that he recognized the unique traditions and excellence of Chinese cinema.
In 1977, he moved to Nanjing University in Jiangsu province, where one memorable summer day on a basketball court introduced him to Xie Jin’s Red Detachment of Women, which ignited a genuine love for the director and for Chinese cinema.
Mueller believes that Xie not only studied global film trends, but also infused his films with an understanding of traditional Chinese opera and painting, and he sees the director’s work as a representation of what he calls the “beauty of Eastern romanticism”.
Their first encounter was in 1979 when Mueller, then still a relatively unknown foreigner, expressed a desire to meet the director, who agreed without hesitation.
“I’ll never forget Xie’s kindness,” he says. “Once we became friends, every time I visited Shanghai, he would treat me to Shanghai cuisine. He never forgot to bring out his ageold Huangjiu or millet wine, since he is from Shaoxing, Zhejiang province, where it’s known for the wine, and we’d sip the wine, enjoy drunken shrimp, and chat away.”
When he visited the Beijing Film Academy to review films, Mueller took a keen interest in student work. He befriended some of the students who had joined the directing department in 1978, including Chen Kaige, Zhang Yimou, Li Shaohong, and Tian Zhuangzhuang.
As the students grew to become the fifth generation of Chinese directors, Mueller was able to follow their journey onto the international stage.
After returning to Italy in 1978, he realized that it was difficult to find good Chinese films abroad and he came up with the idea of hosting a Chinese film exhibition.
Understanding that language and cultural differences made it hard for many Europeans to enjoy Chinese films, Mueller devoted himself to translation.
To bring more films to the forefront, he searched worldwide for sources. He found a cache of almost 500 films in San Francisco’s Chinatown and was able to obtain a significant collection of 1940s films from Havana’s Chinatown, filling in the gaps left by incomplete copies in the Chinese Film Archive.
Over the course of two years, he found 135 films made between 1924 and 1981, and then organized his first big film festival in Turin, called Electric Shadows, to show them. The festival was the first such extensive screening of Chinese films abroad, and it attracted media coverage from all over the world.
From there, Mueller went on to work with major film festivals. From the Rotterdam International Film Festival to Locarno, and from Venice to Rome, he helped select films, and served as a producer and festival president, always championing Chinese cinema.
During his tenure as the director of the Venice International Film Festival from 2004 to 2011, Chinese films, as well as films produced or acted by Chinese people, have thrived. Three have received the Golden Lion for Best Film: Ang Lee’s
Brokeback Mountain and Lust, Caution, and Jia Zhangke’s Still Life.
John Woo has also received a Lifetime Achievement Award, and Deanie Ip won Best Actress for A Simple Life.
“Because of Chinese cinema, I feel compelled to continue dedicating my time to films, even to organizing large international film festivals,” Mueller says.
Educating the young
After dedicating decades to promoting Chinese cinema in Europe, Mueller has recently shifted his focus to China, where he aims to uncover and support emerging talent.
In 2015, he became the chief adviser and curator for the official selection at the Beijing International Film Festival, and in 2016, he co-founded the Pingyao International Film Festival with Jia.
Earlier this year, he also played a key role as the artistic director for the Asia-Europe Youth Film Exhibition in Macao.
Beyond his involvement in festivals, Mueller has contributed to education in China, personally guiding the next generation of Chinese filmmakers.
In 2019, he established the Marco Mueller Film Art Research Center at Liaoning University, and starting in 2021, he became artistic director at the Film Art Research Center of Shanghai University, where he teaches film production.
He has independently or collaboratively produced 14 films, many of which have received international acclaim and awards, including recognition at the Oscars, Cannes, and the Venice International Film Festival.
Young directors often reach out to him, and Mueller warmly welcomes such interaction in the hopes of sharing the experience he has gained from organizing film festivals.
“I engage in extensive discussions with directors and producers on topics such as international promotion, choosing overseas sales companies, and selecting suitable festivals for their films,” he says.
Mueller highlights the shortage of talent in Chinese film translation. Due to cultural differences, the demand for subtitles has become more challenging.
He emphasizes the need to train subtitling experts, and to prioritize the restoration of old films. “The diversity and richness of Chinese film history is immense,” he adds.
Mueller’s extensive efforts in promoting Chinese cinema have earned him widespread recognition in China. In 2010, he received the China-Italy Friendship Contribution Award from the State Council of China for outstanding contributions to Chinese film. Last year, he was honored with the Magnolia Memorial Award, a recognition given by the Shanghai municipal government to notable foreign individuals who have contributed to the city’s development.
Though 70, Mueller has no plans to retire, and says he is inspired by the founder of the Huilin Award, 90-year-old Huang Huilin, who continues to work. He views such dedication as an ideal, and hopes to witness the continued success of new generations of directors.
Still watching films, he says discovering the new generation is his calling.
“I believe that Chinese cinema will continue to excite, captivate, and surprise us with its richness and diversity,” he says.