Opinion: It's awards fever once again in the film industry

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According to recent news, five awards will be given out to Chinese filmmakers for their achievements in an event that will take place in Cannes, coinciding with the 71-year-old extravaganza.

A collective effort has been made by the ever-savvy film buffs and movie experts, in an attempt to uncover the backgrounds of the organizers and to prove that the whole event is no more than another "big festival hitch-hiker."

I appreciate those vigilantes’ devoted research and see no problem in their dedication, but at the same time, I feel I cannot put myself in a judgmental position to accuse the organizers either, because I know putting together any event in the sunny small town in mid-May Southern France is not an easy and inexpensive job at all.

A make-believe international film award has its own purposes, if not all about filmmaking. It may know exactly within what boundaries it can or allows to operate from whom it is hitch-hiking.

Everyone who gets invited and every party involved are probably far more conscious about what they are there for and what they can claim after the show is over. This self-sustained "eco-system" has allowed the event to carry on for a good period of time.

So, if everyone at the party is happy, why should we stop it?

But does this kind of events capitalize on our "international film festival fever" and jeopardize our robust industry? Probably not. It could barely do even if it wants to.

Over the past years, there were far too many "special versions for the Chinese market" passing through our horizon. Eyes have been trained. And it takes fewer professional skills to tell the tricks anyway. This kind of fashion will be cured by time. It is only temporary and should not be the concern of filmmakers.

Competition in the film industry is not like competition in sports, the jury can be quite subjective and unsure. And international film festivals are not just about competing and winning, even for Cannes. To participate, see, show, communicate and understand are far more important and rewarding than knowing the awards winning list – that's probably the true essence of having a film industry event.

Last year, China surpassed the US to become the world's No.1 country in terms of film screens. The local demands for entertainment products are huge, but criteria are also higher.

Cate Blanchett, Jury President of the 71st Cannes Film Festival, May 8, 2018. / VCG Photo

The times are good for Chinese film people, but also very challenging. What the audience is being offered in movie theaters is not consistently good and can be further improved.

What Chinese filmmakers seriously need to compete against are other temptations that may stand in the way between cinema-goers and the box-office, such as short videos, variety shows, web-episodes, live-streaming, games, etc.

While people’s concentration levels are growing shorter and shorter, questions abound whether Chinese filmmakers could restore the golden days of national cinema and keep producing high quality works before the public loses their loyalty to cinema.

And do we need to keep our "international awards fever"? Probably some, at least to those orthodox ones. Curiosity and aspiration towards a wider and higher stage can never be harmful. And only through comparison, a film or a filmmaker can find out their place on the world arena.

The last thing I hope is that Chinese filmmakers care less about whether they will make "an appearance on the global stage" or grow indifferent to be "international" because they think the domestic market can offer so much more, and then everyone can live comfortably under their own community rules and standards, hence a totally self-contained, self-perpetuating domestic film industry. Boring.

People often say showbiz is a vanity fair. Everyone there is after wealth and fame. Yet Chinese ancient wisdom also teaches us that "being and non-being create each other."

While smiling off the publicity stunts people try to pull off, a conscious person should stick to the goals which take hardship to achieve. And with a proper amount of rational "awards fever" and constant interests to the international film landscape, this habit may propel young and ambitious people to explore and discover something more solid and lasting.

(Max Yang is a producer. He used to work asdirector of the Market Department of Shanghai International Film Festival. The article reflects the author's opinion, and not necessarily the views of CGTN.)