Changchun Film Festival: Cradle of modern China’s movie industry breeds new hope

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Amid the "glitz and glam" of the 14th Changchun Film Festival, its founder and organizer, Changchun Film Group Corporation, LOOKS BACK on its previous achievements while also seeking new breakthroughs. Our reporter Feng Yilei has more.

It's the birthplace of China's first feature film, first documentary and a series of classics familiar to generations of Chinese audiences.

The Changchun Film Studio, now known as the Changchun Film Group Corporation, was dubbed "the cradle of modern China's film industry".

The studio grew out of the flames of war in 1940s and has carried out a historic mission to strengthen the country's political and cultural power.

LI QING HUI, GENERAL MANAGER CHANGCHUN FILM GROUP CORPORATION "The studio's productions have largely contributed to the liberation and revolution of our country. War pictures and rural people's stories have influenced many generations. After the reform and opening up in the 1970s, we also produced a batch of non-propagandistic commercial hits."

The cradle has given birth to well over a thousand movies, as well as some 2000 film artists. 90-year old Tian Hua became famous by acting as a peasant young lady escaping from landlord torture in the studio's White Haired Girl, a story which later drove forward national landlord reform. Memories flash back, whenever she returns.

TIAN HUA ACTRESS "This is my home where I started my career. One cannot become a good actress without a good director, a good acting environment, nor a good team spirit. I'm lucky and proud to be one of the Changchun studio members to pass down the spirit of professionalism."

But in the last 20 years, China's film market has increasingly opened up to private firms. A trend that continues to threaten government-run film studios with talent and profit losses. Changchun Film Studio became the first to reform, absorbing social investments while integrating film entertainment with tourism.

FENG YILEI CHANGCHUN, CHINA "Built on the old site of the Studio, this museum, open to the public now tells stories of its glorious past to a new generation from behind the silver screen. And the previously state-owned studio, after struggling to transition to a corporate structure, is writing a new chapter in the Chinese film industry."

The 14th Changchun Film Festival has five new productions on hand from Changchun Film Group Corporation. Historical epics and biographies of great figures remain the studio's most competitive field. Yet filmmakers here are launching new attempts to meet changing tastes.

ZHAO LINSHAN FILM DIRECTOR "I personally think films promoting ideology or patriotism should fit into genres, follow industrialized production standards and be innovative in storytelling. The US has Captain America and we have The Days without Lei Feng. That's what I do in my new movie."

LI QIANKUAN, FORMER CHIEF DIRECTOR CHANGCHUN FILM STUDIO "This year's event reminds me of my early days at Changchun Film Studio, digging into scripts, history, characters and real life. Times are changing, as well as views and values, but these are things our filmmakers should insist—to respect, to learn."

The former chief director says the revived Changchun film corporation is still using the old worker-peasant-soldier logo. He says that means they will continue to make outstanding films for the people. Feng Yilei, CGTN, Changchun.