Chance and challenge for young Chinese filmmakers

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Watching documentaries, building stories and editing videos were the happiest things Li Jie did when she studied broadcast journalism in college, and that helped shaped her future career.

As a director and writer, Li is still young in the film industry and her first feature film "Only Love Can Do This To Me" is going to release. Li, a fan of Titanic and an admirer of Ang Lee, said she chose filmmaking as a career because she is passionate about it.

"When I was very young, I started to watch films because my mom was a big film fan," Li told CGTN Digital recalling her childhood. "I want to tell stories about myself and my life."

Director Li Jie, majored in broadcast journalism in college, then further studied film in the US. /KO Talent Agency Photo

After graduating from college, she enrolled in Ohio University's School of Film in the US for further study in 2008. From then on, she has stepped into the filmmaking industry and produced a thesis film which was selected by Athens international Film and Video Festival.

In fact, the movie industry in China is growing rapidly and eager for skillful and talented filmmakers. The 14th Changchun Film Festival, held from September 1 to 8 in northeast China's Jilin Province, encourages young directors like Li to showcase themselves and their works, giving them more exposure and enlarging their audiences.

Lucia Pang, born in Nanjing and grew up in Australia at the age of six, acted in Li Jie's feature film. /CGTN Photo

For the increasing younger Chinese directors, Li said though they lack experience, their biggest advantage is passion.

"Because we are not as experienced as other well-known directors, so we care about what we think. And we see every opportunity as the last chance to make a film."

However, Li also reminded her young peers not to be influenced by others, whether in the box office, the comments or the classic movies. "The toughest job is to find your own desire and what you want to say to your audience," Li said.

Li Jie and Lucia Pang at the shooting site in Australia. /Douban Photo

China is now the world's second-largest film market following the US. As the market expands, the influence of Asian culture is growing worldwide.

But under this circumstance, only 28.3 percent of speaking characters across film, TV and streaming were from racial and ethnic groups, which is much lower than its population percentage, according to the Annenberg Report of University of Southern California.

"I was extremely exposed to more western films in western culture and just seeing the lack of Asian faces on screen with TV and films. Especially for me growing up overseas, it was hard to find someone that I could connect with ethnically on screen," Lucia Pang, an actress acted in Li's feature film told CGTN Digital.

Pang was born in Nanjing and grew up in Australia at the age of six. This is her first experience being an actress. "Being Asian there is kind of disadvantage. You want to prove to the casting directors or whoever is casting films that you are capable of getting this role as much as someone else," Pang admitted.

Still from "Crazy Rich Asian". /Warnerbros.com Photo

In the past three weeks, "Crazy Rich Asians", an all-Asian cast and Asian-American lead film topped the US box office. As of September 5, the film grossed of 143.9 million US dollars worldwide against a production budget of 30 million US dollars, which proves that these types of films work and can turn a profit.

The film's success could pave the way for future Hollywood films, allowing them to tell more about Asian American stories. Currently, it has already helped Lillian Yu, who previously wrote for NBC comedy "Powerless," sell a spec script to a studio under Warner Bros, according to NBC.

To fully prepare for performing or directing in Hollywood, the dream of many filmmakers, Pang said despite the language barrier, "Asian actors have an advantage that we are maybe even more determined just because we have that setback."

For Li, she gave an insight to filmmakers who are interested in working overseas: good acting skills and good storytelling.