Art films not aimed at box office success — director Yang Chao
BEIJING: Director Yang Chao, known for his film Crosscurrent, has clarified that art films are not produced for box office success.
Instead, they have a broader duty for nation-building and therefore need to be handled differently from commercial films.
“I think art films are those that explore the boundaries of art,” Yang noted, during a group discussion at the 9th Beijing International Film Festival.
Noted Yang: “China’s art films prove to the world that our nation is able to create a new culture in film.”
During his opening speech, Beijing Film Administration head Chen Mingjie expressed a willingness to support art films, but noted that a balance between artistic expression and commercial value had to be taken into consideration.
Yang Mingming (Girls Always Happy), said that art films are closely tied to an individual’s experiences and for her are “a way to cope with reality” and “a way of thinking.”
Lu Qingyi, the director of Four Springs, said that there are poetic and aesthetic elements in art films that stem from an affection for life and the observation of it.
“We always ignore some details in our life. It is important to take a record of them as they are all poetic,” said Lu.
“For example, a single sentence may have a different meaning if we put it on screen.”
Surprisingly, Sidney Gannis, current vice president of the Board of Governors for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences (AMPAS), agreed with Hu’s idea that any good movie can be considered an art movie.
“If it is good, then that means it has artistic value and can be accepted by more audiences.”
The forum also saw a number of executives from various film and media companies share their thoughts on art film. Many of them noted that it’s important to differentiate between commercial and art films since these require very different distribution and marketing strategies.
Cai Gongming, CEO of Road Pictures, which helped distribute and market Cannes Palme d’Or Winner Shoplifters in China, said that companies have to place art films in the right place if marketing is to be effective.
“Followers of art films are loyal. However, if our marketing upsets them, they won’t want to spread word of mouth for you. Therefore, we have to be considerate to core fans,” he said.