Tokyo jury member Zhao Wei raves over effect of film fests
TOKYO: Actress- director Zhao Wei has raved over the spillover effects of hosting fi lm festivals, and how these win new fans.
Reckoned Zhao, who is a member of the jury at the Tokyo International Film Festival ( TIFF): “Festivals provide an opportunity for fi lm fans and fi lmmakers like me to go back to that very fi rst stage of falling in love with cinema.”
Zhao is known for her starring roles in the fi lms of Stephen Chow, John Woo, Johnny To and others.
She is also known for her smash-hit directorial debut, “So Young”.
Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, she said fi lm festival has also encouraged collaborations between the world’s second- and thirdlargest movie markets — China and Japan.
On her decision to become a member of the jury, Zhao said: “Well, the Tokyo festival is a very successful one, and internationally it’s well respected. A fi lm I performed in and a fi lm I directed were both selected by past editions of TIFF, so I’ve been here a number of times and I feel very close to the festival. I am happy to support them on their 30th anniversary.”
Zhao was also a member of the jury at the Venice fi lm festival. She is also backing the upcoming inaugural Film Noir Film Festival in Corsica.
On why fi lm festivals are important to her, Zhao added: “Without fi lm festivals the movie business would only be box office, and that’s not why any of us fell in love with cinema in the fi rst place. I’ve been on a number of fi lm festival juries and occasionally the big awards go to fi lms from lesser known regions, or to previously unknown directors. In these fi lms — which are coming from outside the mainstream — you can fi nd a very sincere expression, or a pure devotion to the craft of fi lmmaking.
“So festivals provide an opportunity for fi lm fans and fi lmmakers like me to go back to that very fi rst stage of falling in love with cinema — and to re- examine why we wanted to make fi lms in the fi rst place.”
On the trend of having more collaborations between China and Japan, Zhao said: “Well, I certainly think it’s a positive thing. There are many great Japanese fi lms, so of course it’s good if Chinese audiences can see them in theatres. I really adore the work of director Hirokazu Kore- eda and Tetsuya Nakashima. I like many Japanese directors, and I believe if Chinese audiences get the chance to see their fi lms on the big screen, they will enjoy them too.”
On what roles she enjoy most, Zhao said: “I enjoy acting and directing the most, defi nitely. Once you begin work on a fi lm, it feels as if you are entering a different world. If you don’t enter that world fully, it’s hard to produce pure work. And once you have entered fully, the reality of the real world becomes less preferable, even less enjoyable. I love nothing more than this feeling of being at work inside a fi lm.”