The World Science Fiction Convention is drawing to a close on Sunday in the southwestern city of Chengdu. As the 5-day event wraps up, Guo Tianqi caught up with some filmmakers attending the world's top sci-fi convention.
Science fiction is buzzing in China. Sci-fi films in particular have made strides in recent years, with the help of cutting-edge technology and improved plots and storytelling techniques. Take for example The Wandering Earth series.
Both the first film in 2019 and the second this year have earned over 4 billion RMB, or about 600 million US dollars, in box office revenue, securing the 5th and 10th place in Chinese cinema history, with 'The Avengers 4: Endgame,' released in 2019, ranking 8th.
FRANT GWO, Film Director, The Wandering Earth "From planning, shooting, editing, to post-production and promotion, by the end of 'The Wandering Earth 2,' we had a rough outline for how to make a Sci-fi film."
XING MINGLI, Chief CGI Director, MOREVFX "We've developed a lot of new technology for 'The Wandering Earth' and cultivated a group of excellent CGI talents. This can be beneficial for future development."
RICHARD TAYLOR, Co-Founder, Wētā Workshop "I love it that it is uniquely Chinese with innovation of the visual effects, the technology, the character design its all specific to the country, that's something that the country should be proud of. The visual effects of Wondering Earth two was entirely done in country, and it was as good as any visual effects in any film in the world today, and that's something that the Chinese industry has fought for a very long time."
GUO TIANQI, Chengdu "Excellent Chinese science fiction films attract a lot of fans from all walks of life, and they continue to extend the film industry chain in their own ways. For example, this mascot made by fans, are purchased by the copyright holders as official authorized products."
The development of science and technology has made China one of the most futuristic places in the world, creating an intimate relationship between movie fans and the sci-fi realm.
"We feel that the world of 'The Wandering Earth' is not pure fantasy but as if it exists in a parallel universe, so we want to bring it to life in reality."
FRANT GWO, Film Director, The Wandering Earth "The creativity and imagination of our audience go beyond ours. They have created 100 thousand kinds of related products, while we have only a dozen. We hope that more and more audiences can join us to create the world view of the film together."
This is the first time China is hosting the world's top sci-fi convention, with Chengdu making history as the second Asian city to host it.
The event, which concludes on Sunday, has drawn thousands of Chinese sci-fi writers, filmmakers and fans, as well as participants from overseas. Guo Tianqi, CGTN, Chengdu, Sichuan Province.