From October 31st to November 2nd, the 2023 Maritime Guangdong Young Director Support Program (Maritime Guangdong Program) will host its film festival with a series of events in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. During this period, ten Lingnan dialect short films supported by the 2023 Maritime Guangdong Program will be screened.
The Maritime Guangdong Program organized by the Yangcheng Evening News Group was officially launched in April 2023. The program selected and awarded funding to 11 talented young Chinese directors to create 10 short films that focus on Lingnan culture and overseas Chinese stories. These short films will be premiered at the upcoming film festival, and the audience will get to experience the carefully crafted collection of films for the first time. Moreover, the young directors of the program will also attend the event in Kuala Lumpur and engage in face-to-face exchanges with the audience. This event promises to be a great opportunity for the audience to learn about Chinese culture and interact with young, talented filmmakers.
Maritime Guangdong Program Film Festival bridges cultural exchange between China and Malaysia
The year 2023 marks the 10th anniversary of the establishment of a comprehensive strategic partnership between China and Malaysia. In 2024, the two countries will celebrate the 50th anniversary of their diplomatic relations. Films have played a crucial role in facilitating cultural exchange between China and Malaysia. By selecting Kuala Lumpur for its overseas showcase, the program aims to encourage dialogue and exchange between filmmakers from both countries. This initiative will contribute towards fostering close cooperation in the cultural field between China and Malaysia.
The opening ceremony of the film festival will kick off on the afternoon of October 31st. Dato' Kamil Othman, Chairman of Malaysia's National Film Development Corporation, will attend the opening ceremony. Attendees from the Malaysian film and television industry will be welcomed, with Ms. Joanne Goh, Chairperson of the Malaysia International Film Festival (MIFFest), and Mr. Chanson Wang, Director of the Center of the ASEAN and Chinese Screen Studies at Xiamen University Malaysia, delivering keynote speeches.
In addition, there are guests from the Malaysian Chinese media industry, such as Mr. Kuik Cheng Kang, Chief Editor of the Malaysia branch of Media Chinese International and Sin Chew Daily, Mr. Chan Aun Kuang, Executive Editor-in-chief of Sin Chew Daily, Mr. Tan Kim Chuan, General Manager (Corporate Communications & Promotion) of Sin Chew Daily, and Ms. Li Peipei, Executive Editor-in-chief of China Press.
Guests from Chinese associations in Malaysia will also attend the opening ceremony, including Mr. Lim Keh Kuan, President of the Federation of Teochew Association Malaysia, Mr. Lau Choon Xian, President of The Malaysia Xiang Lian Youth, Dato' Sri Ang Lai Hee. JP, Secretary-General of the Malaysia-China Public Relations Association, Mr. Lam Kim Hoi, Deputy President of the Malaysia-China Hakka Business Confederation Association, Dato’ Seri Tan Seong Fatt, Executive Deputy President of the Federation of Malaysian Chinese Surnames Associations, and Dato' Lai Tak Kuan, First Deputy President of the Selangor and Kuala Lumpur Kwang Tung Association.
The opening ceremony for the upcoming event will take place at the Kuala Lumpur and Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall (KLSCAH), which symbolizes the unity of the Malaysian Chinese community. The hall, completed in 1934, was listed as a national cultural heritage by the Ministry of Culture, Arts and Heritage Malaysia in 2007.
Ten Lingnan Dialect Short Films screening abroad for the first time
Ten short films in the Lingnan dialects are set to make their debut on the international stage as part of the Maritime Guangdong Program Film Festival, taking place consecutively three times from October 31st to November 2nd on Petaling Street in Kuala Lumpur. This marks the first time that the Maritime Guangdong Program will be introduced to the audience with its ten works in good faith.
These ten films were shot in various locations, including Hong Kong, Guangzhou, Jiangmen, Zhanjiang, Qingyuan, Shantou, Chaozhou, and Meizhou in China. The languages used in the films range from Mandarin, Cantonese, and Chaoshan dialect, to Leizhou dialect. The eleven young directors, with an average age of 26 and the youngest being only 20, all born or residing in Guangdong or Hong Kong, gained a deeper appreciation for their hometowns through filming Lingnan cultural-themed short films.
Four Chinese film directors have showcased their hometowns in their films in a unique way. Director Paco Wen's "Reunited" is a beautiful portrayal of his hometown Chaozhou. Director So Chak Long's "Migratory Bird" depicts a memorable family journey in his birthplace, Hong Kong. In "My Brother", director Adam Yang draws inspiration from his family's experience in the Shantou Special Economic Zone's canned food industry in the 1990s. "The Puppetmaster", directed by Jiacao Chen, tells a story of the impact of Leizhou opera culture and bloodline connections in his hometown of Leizhou in Zhanjiang, Guangdong.
Throughout the filming process, the young directors discovered hidden treasures of the Lingnan region through their camera lenses. Director Charlotte Chen's "Fantasy Blues of 'Gua Ling'" was shot in the nearly 600-year-old Gualing Ancient Village in Zengcheng, Guangzhou. The local watchtowers, ancient alleys, banyan trees, and ancestral halls were all captured, presenting a unique sense of mystery. Director Canjie Zhuang's "The Returning Island" was primarily filmed at the Tianhou Temple in Shantou, which was built during the Song Dynasty. The film utilized hand-drawn animation and fantastical techniques to showcase the rich cultural characteristics of Mazu. Directors Huizhi Deng and Yuan Zhang searched for old streets and houses with local characteristics in Jiangmen to shoot "Bring Him Back" and ultimately presented a well-preserved Malaysian-style overseas Chinese residential building in the film.
The young directors also excel in exploring cultural themes such as Chinese migration, immigration, and root-seeking through everyday scenes and stories. Director Holmes Zhang's short film "Swimming Lesson" metaphorically portrays different choices made by two generations of a family through swimming. Director Wenli Huang's "How Can I Rid My Mind of Her" depicts the historical changes of a century-old overseas Chinese tea factory through the experience of a Vietnamese returnee tea picker. Director Jianhang Chen's "The River that Holds My Hand" was specially filmed overseas, where the cities of Ho Chi Minh City and Can Tho in Vietnam exhibit striking similarities with Chaozhou, Meizhou, and Shantou in the Chaoshan region of China, visually representing the intergenerational bonds and connections of overseas Chinese.
[Maritime Guangdong Young Director Support Program]
The Maritime Guangdong Young Director Support Program is a large-scale initiative organized by the Yangcheng Evening News Group to discover, hatch, select and cultivate talented young filmmakers at home and abroad.
Based in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, the program aims to identify individuals who excel in visual storytelling and help them create different types of short films, such as dramas, documentaries, and animations. It presents a new imagination for the future of Chinese movie culture for the world to see China in a new light through the power of imagery.
“山海计划”扬帆出海，“山海展映”大幕将启！
10月31日至11月2日，2023“向山海走去”青年导演创作扶持计划（简称“山海计划”）将在马来西亚吉隆坡举办2023“山海展映·惊喜吉隆坡”系列活动，期间将放映由2023“山海计划”支持创作的10部岭南方言短片。
2023年4月，由羊城晚报报业集团主办的“山海计划”正式启动。经过层层选拔和评审，11位颇具才华的中国青年导演获得创作金支持，拍摄了10部以岭南文化和华侨华人故事为主题的短片。在本次“山海展映·惊喜吉隆坡”活动期间，这批精心打磨的短片将首次与观众见面。“山海计划”的青年导演们也将现身吉隆坡的活动现场，和观众面对面交流。
“山海展映”搭建中马文化交流桥梁
2023年是中马建立全面战略伙伴关系10周年，2024年中马两国即将迎来建交50周年。电影作为中马两国文化交流的重要媒介，见证了中马友谊深化发展的进程。“山海计划”选择在吉隆坡举行海外展映，旨在促进两国电影人之间的交流对话，为中马两国在文化领域的密切合作添砖加瓦。
“山海展映·惊喜吉隆坡”将于10月31日下午举行开幕式，期间将有多位马来西亚的影视界代表出席，马来西亚国际电影节（MIFFest）主席Joanne Goh和厦门大学马来西亚分校东盟及华语影视研究中心主任王昌松将作主旨发言。此外，马来西亚世华媒体集团总编辑兼《星洲日报》总编辑郭清江、《星洲日报》执行总编辑陈汉光、《中国报》执行总编辑李佩佩等马来西亚华文媒体界代表，以及马来西亚潮州公会联合会总会长林家光、马来西亚宗乡青联合总会总会长刘俊贤、马来西亚中国公共关系协会秘书长洪来喜、马来西亚中国客家总商会副总会长蓝金海、马来西亚华人姓氏总会联合会常务副总会长陈湘发、雪隆广东会馆第一副会长黎德坤等华社代表也将出席开幕式。
据悉，开幕式的举办场地为吉隆坡暨雪兰莪中华大会堂。作为马来西亚华人团结的象征，吉隆坡暨雪兰莪中华大会堂是马来西亚华社在民间的代表机构。会所建筑落成于1934年，在2007年被马来西亚文化艺术及文物部列为国家文化遗产。
10部岭南方言短片首次“出海”
10月31日至11月2日晚间，“山海展映·惊喜吉隆坡” 将在吉隆坡茨厂街连续进行三场放映交流活动。这也是“山海计划” 10 部岭南方言短片首次和观众见面。
据悉，这10 部短片的取景拍摄地遍及中国香港，广东广州、江门、湛江、清远、汕头、潮州、梅州等地，使用的语言包括普通话、粤语、潮汕方言、雷州方言等。11位青年导演均出生或居住在广东或香港，通过岭南文化主题短片的拍摄，他们对家乡有了更深刻的理解与感悟。
青年导演温柏高在老家潮州取景，并将他对潮汕地区风土人情和生命轮回的理解融入短片《锦鲤，锦鲤》；导演苏泽朗在出生地香港拍摄短片《家庭旅行》，用细腻的影像回溯一场记忆中的家庭旅行；在短片《远洋》中，导演杨哲霖以其爷爷和表伯的寻根经历为故事原型，呈现了90年代汕头特区罐头工业经济的起伏；导演陈家操回到家乡广东湛江雷州，在短片《中状元》中讲述了一段雷剧文化和血系亲缘被时空磨洗的故事。
在拍摄中，青年导演们用镜头挖掘出不少岭南的“宝藏地”。导演陈晓璐的《梦幻“瓜岭”布鲁斯》在有着近600年历史的广州增城瓜岭古村取景，当地碉楼、古巷、榕树、祠堂纷纷入镜，呈现出别样的神秘美感；导演庄灿杰的《珊瑚她在等》以始建于宋朝的汕头市和平下宫天后古庙为主要取景地，以手绘动画和奇幻手法展现当地浓厚的妈祖文化特色；导演邓惠芝、张元为了拍摄《马仔梦露》，在江门遍寻具有当地特色的老街和老屋，最终在片中呈现了一座保存完好的马来西亚风格侨居建筑。
青年导演们还擅长通过日常的场景和故事，触及中国人流动、移民、寻根等文化母题。导演邓亮宏的短片《游泳课》，以游泳来隐喻一个家庭两代人离开或留下的不同选择；导演黄文礼《海水泡的茶是什么味道》通过一个越南归侨采茶工的经历，展现了百年华侨茶厂的历史变迁；导演陈坚杭的《The River that Holds My Hand》专程赴海外取景，其镜头下，越南的胡志明市、芹苴市，与中国潮汕地区的潮州市、梅州市和汕头市呈现出惊人的相似之处，直观体现了海外华人华侨开枝散叶、代代相传的血脉亲情。
“山海计划”10位青年导演平均年龄26岁，其中年龄最小的仅20岁。他们创作角度各异、影像风格不拘，让作品呈现出年轻而丰富的面向。本次“山海展映”期间，导演们也将前往吉隆坡，亲耳聆听首批国际观众对作品的评价。
【“向山海走去”青年导演创作扶持计划】
“山海计划”是由羊城晚报报业集团主办的对海内外优秀华人青年导演进行挖掘、孵化、选拔和培养的大型人才扶持活动。活动立足粤港澳大湾区，面向全球寻找影像创作领域的新锐力量，支持他们探索剧情、纪录、动画等不同类型的短片创作，突破和展开对未来华语影像文化的想象之路，也让世界通过影像重新发现中国。
文｜羊城晚报全媒体记者 李丽
来源 | 羊城晚报·羊城派翻译｜陈萱