Film company shoots for global role
By Wang Lan (China Daily)
Updated: 2006-08-08 15:04
Titles
of five films directed by renown Hong Kong director Wong Kar Wai: (from
top) Days of Being Wild, Happy Together, 2046, Chungking Express and
Fallen Angels [baidu.com] |
"We have a lot of respect for the Hong Kong directors we have worked with,"
said Ren. "There are many things we can learn from them, especially in terms of
special effects, something that can have a great impact on foreign audiences,"
he said.
With Ren's encouragement, the SFG took the lead among Chinese film
producers to cast foreign stars in its movies. For example, the multinational
cast of "My Blueberry Nights" includes Oscar winners Kevin Spacey and Rachel
Weisz, Oscar nominee Jude Law, and Grammy winner Norah Jones.
Despite its
occasional bold moves, Ren understands that the SFG cannot hope to compete
head-to-head with the Hollywood studios in the international market, at least in
the foreseeable future. "We are not well capitalized to take big risks," he
said. "We may never be able to pick ourselves up after one major flop," he
added.
Learning a lesson from South Korea, Ren believes that there is an
attractive niche market internationally for relatively smaller budget, well-made
movies with country-specific themes. This niche market used to be dominated by
French and German films. But in recent years, Hong Kong filmmakers have made
inroads into this market with kung fu films that delight cinemagoers around the
world with their carefully choreographed hand-to-hand combat action.
But
Ren said that kung-fu action films from Hong Kong and the mainland are facing
stiff competition from Hollywood filmmakers who have "learned these tricks and
are doing it better than us." Chinese filmmakers will just have to find other
ways to survive, he said.
Ren believes that Chinese films reflecting the
nation's dramatic social and economic changes will have a wide audience both
inside and outside the mainland. The growing popularity of modern Chinese
paintings, particularly those that highlight conflicts brought about by the
fast-changing social landscape, is an indication of overseas interest in the
latest developments on the mainland. "We need to tell a good story about
modern-day life in China to attract foreign movie fans," Ren said.
(For more biz stories, please visit Industry Updates)
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