Ang Lee brings glee to Shanghai Film Fest

Ang Lee shares his opinions on the booming Chinese film market at the Shanghai International Film Festival. [Photo provided to China Daily]

It's no surprise: Ang Lee has become the biggest sensation of the ongoing 19th Shanghai International Film Festival.

As the first and only Chinese to claim an Oscar for best director, Lee is widely hailed as an unrivaled master bridging the East and West.

Despite that acclaim, he hasn't appeared on the Chinese mainland for a couple of years, and the low-profile director turned down all interview requests during the festival.

So it's easy to understand how a two-hour forum on Monday, featuring Lee as a presenter, turned into something of a pilgrimage for movie enthusiasts.

An hour before the event, hundreds of people were lining up outside the door. Many were left outside, standing or sitting on the ground, to watch the live television broadcast once the room was full.

Lee didn't disappoint the crowd.

Ang Lee shares his opinions on the booming Chinese film market at the Shanghai International Film Festival. [Photo provided to China Daily]

His candid words captivated those with a love of the big screen, but interestingly conflict with most of today's conventional wisdom.

Noting that Hollywood has a globally dominating influence thanks to its century-old movie industry, Lee says that Chinese filmmakers should not hurry to "overtake" them.

"It's now a golden era for Chinese filmmakers. But filmmaking is a matter of culture. You have to be patient and give it time," the 61-year-old says.

China's movie market has seen an unprecedented boom over the past few years. Last year, the world's second-largest movie market's box-office tally hit a record 44.1 billion yuan ($6.68 billion), rising 48 percent from the previous year.

Meanwhile, Zeng Maojun, president of the country's largest cinema chain, Wanda Cinema Line, says China will overtake the United States in the total number of screens next year.

The latest figures show that China boasts around 32,000 screens－adding an average of 21 screens a day last year.

Industry sources say the astounding figures indicate China will replace the US at the top of the world's movie industry next year.

But Lee doesn't believe Chinese filmmakers should set such a goal.

Lee won an Oscar for best director for his magical epic, Life of Pi. [Photo provided to China Daily]

"The most important thing as a human being is to be faithful to your heart. No matter how the market expands, film is still something close to your heart," says Lee.

"Celebrities and gossip easily dominate headlines. But a movie is not like a several-minute music video. The audiences want to see a production that can touch them and relate to them emotionally."

As a prestigious filmmaker who has worked with such stars as Kate Winslet and Hugh Grant, Lee says that film studios should not worry if a quality film cannot afford A-listers.

"I know many big stars want to make quality films. They would compromise on the pay for a good story. It's a very common phenomenon that most of the A-list actors pursue artistic reputation as well as money from big-budget titles," he says.

From the CGI magic of Life of Pi to his latest drama, Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk, Lee is known for his persistence in pursuing the state-of-art technology.

Most of present-day films are shot using the industry-standard of 24 frames per second. But Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk is the first feature film shot at 120 frames per second－technology which will offer better-quality imagery.

Lee won an Oscar for best director for his magical epic, Life of Pi. [Photo provided to China Daily]

"I'm a curious guy when it comes to the image world. I just have a bit of ambition to do something that has never been done."

While asked how newbie filmmakers can become quickly established or qualified, Lee's suggestion is to do the opposite.

"Don't let them go too fast. I started my career at 36. So no worries for you young guys," says the director, who began to shoot his first feature, Pushing Hands, in 1990, after being jobless for six years.

"A heartwarming project needs to wait until it's mature. Time has the power to polish skills and experience. Be patient," says Lee.

He also fears that Chinese financers' eagerness to earn money will damage the Chinese film industry.

A number of similar stories, sequences and characters will bore audiences and exhaust talent, he says.

"If the audiences are getting tired, it's not a matter of which genre to shoot but about whether cinemas will still draw people," he says.

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