Look at the world from point of view of kids and animals

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"Never be blindly arrogant, and consider ourselves king of the earth. We are only one of the beings equally living on the planet," Feng Xiaoning said in an exclusive interview with CGTN, ahead of the release of his new film "Animal Rescue Squad."

Feng, with a handful of awards and well known productions, is a member of the renowned "fifth generation" of Chinese directors. Most of his early films are war-themed, such as "Red River Valley" and "Purple Sunset." But he refuses to be labeled as a war-themed director.

"What I cared for is always the issues of the people. With the 'Red River Valley,' 'Grief Over the Yellow River' and 'Purple Sunset', I was exploring the relationships between people, and with 'Super Typhoon,' I was discussing the responsibility of mankind to the earth," said Feng.

Director Feng Xiaoning speaks at the press conference of the film "Animal Rescue Squad" on April 23, 2019. /Photo via China Film Co., Ltd.

And his new film, set to debut on April 30, has shifted to the relationship between the human beings and the earth, through the point of view of kids and animals.

A big theme reflected in the innocent eyes

"Animal Rescue Squad" is about how a child and a group of animals have rescued the world from a disaster they are unaware of.

While a ship loaded with highly toxic chemical materials is hijacked and the world's safety is threatened with unknown dangers, a little girl, who understands the language of the animals, come to the rescue of the human beings with her squad of various animals…

It is not the first film Feng Xiaoning directed for children though. Back in 1990, his first film "The Ozone Layer Vanishes" tells a similar story. The film is given 7.8 out of 10 points on Douban.com, China's Rotten Tomato resembled rating website, with many saying that it was a forerunner in the early sci-fi film attempts.

Director Feng Xiaoning poses with Jing Xitong, the leading actress and Bruce the greyhound, at the press conference of the film "Animal Rescue Squad" on April 23, 2019. /Photo via China Film Co., Ltd.

By returning to the old theme, Feng said he was inspired by the viewers of his films.

"While talking with people during the past 30 years, many of them told me that after watching my film 'The Ozone Layer Vanishes' 30 years ago, they never hurt an animal in their whole life," Feng said, adding that the film has influenced at least two generations of people.

So with the new film, he is expecting to pass on the awareness of protecting the animals and the environment to the next generation.

The director said that by shooting the film, he has learned to communicate with the animals by putting them onto the same level with human beings.

"When you treat the animals as a friend or family member, you'll have a completely new feeling, as if you could read their thoughts and emotions, and you'll find that their eyesight is quite clean and pure," said Feng.

Poster of the film "Animal Rescue Squad". /Photo via Douban.com‍

Feng said that many of today's issues are rooted in people's endless chasing of profits. For instance, the climate change, poaching and pollution, which lead to the extinction of many species.

If everyone would treat the planet and the animals like the children, everything would be different, said the director.

Difficulties of animal films

The leading roles in the film are either animals or children, and all the animals involved are living creatures instead of computer generated imagery (CGI).

Poster of the film "Animal Rescue Squad". /Photo via China Film Co., Ltd.

Feng said that the plan of shooting the film has been taking shape a decade ago, and has started to raise Bruce, the leading role, a greyhound, since then. The dog is now 11 years old, and the pair has formed a type of understanding between them.

Not only the dog, the cat and the parrot in the film "Animal Rescue Squad" were all living with the crew members during the filming process. By building trust with day-by-day life, the animals became much more easier to get along with.

And there are techniques in the photography.

"We need to lower ourselves to the same level of the animals," said Feng. "And you can see from the photos taken on the scene that most of the time we were prone on the floor."

Crew members pose for photo at the press conference. /Photo via China Film Co., Ltd.

He mentioned that a lot of close-up images of the animals' eyes were used, which are quite touching. "They are no bad than the big stars," said Feng.

It also explains why the film prefers real animals instead of CG pixels. The CGI technologies could never compete with the real emotions flowing out of the animals' eyes while communicating with the human beings, Feng said.

He added that he believes everyone who went to watch the film would be touched by those sincere eyes, and the emotions between human beings and the animals.

"I believe the emotions and the resonance of humanity could transcend national boundaries, languages and religions, and that are the things which makes a good film," said Feng.

Photography by Ma Jian

Video editing by Xu Xiaotong, Wu Chutian

Cover image by Li Jingjie