Chinese filmmaker favored by Cannes festival

Wang Shuyang [Photo/Facebook account of Wang Shuyang]

To a majority of filmmakers, it is a privilege to have their works shown at the Cannes International Film Festival. Usually, it takes years or lifetime to make the dream come true.

Now, a post-90s girl Wang Shuyang from Shanxi province has got a ticket to take part in the 2017 Cannes International Film Festival in May thanks to her animation Koki.

The two-minute creation Koki will be shown at the Cannes Short Film Corner, an essential rendezvous for filmmakers.

Since 2004, short film producers and directors have chosen the Short Film Corner as the place to present their films and chart their future career. The proposed films are from all over the world and most will make their public debut, according to the official website of Cannes International Film Festival.

Koki tells a story of a boy and a fox-turned girl. The little boy gets lost in a forest and cannot find the way out. Suddenly, a pretty girl shows up and leads him out of the forest. When the boy stops to thank the girl, he only sees a fox.

Although the plot is simple, it took the producer over a year to finish the film.

"From writing the script to post-production, everything was done by myself. All the details in the movie are the results of constant changes and reviews," Wang said.

"For instance, the changing of rays in the work is something I am proud of. When the boy gets lost in the forest, the glimmering light makes the forest not that scared; when the boy finds the girl with warm lights around her, they offer the boy a silver lining. The difference lights reflect something behind the scenes," Wang added.

The Chinese-style elements are another highlight of the animation.

"Koki is born to be a Chinese-style animation as I am a Chinese. Fox fairy is a classic image for traditional Chinese culture and has been widely used in Chinese dramas and movies, so I just applied it in my work," Wang said.

"Love is an eternal theme for human beings, and my work is no exception. I hope to show a harmonious relationship between human and nature, human and animals in my simple animation," Wang added.

Koki, however, is more than a Cannes-favored animation; it is also the graduation work from Wang Shuyang.

Majoring in computer art design, Wang graduated from the School of Visual Arts in New York City in 2016 with great academic achievements.

Due to her persistence and talents in art design, she was chosen by her instructor and keeps exploring the animation world.

"Art is a demanding mistress, the pitfalls of endlessly doubting your own ability, the role of creative thinkers in today's shifting sociopolitical climate and the difference between the art world and the world of art...Working as an artist is one of the most difficult things I do, and at the same time it's the only thing I can possibly do," Wang said quoting a speech delivered by the artist Carrie Mae Weems to 1,100 graduates of the School of Visual Arts in 2016.

"When she delivered the speech, I was one of the 1,100 gradates. The speech really impressed me, and it touched me a lot. Just like her said, I will keep going and do something in my artist career," Wang said, smiling.