18 | Thursday, January 24, 2019 LIFE CHINA DAILY HONG KONG EDITION
From left: Actors Shen Teng, Xu Zheng, Huang Bo and director Ning Hao during a Beijing promotional event of the upcoming scifi comedy Crazy Alien, which will debut across China on Feb 5. FENG YONGBIN / CHINA DAILY Out of this world
Black comedy meets scifi in Ning Hao’s new film, Crazy Alien, which will be released during Spring Festival, Xu Fan reports.
rom Crazy Stone to No 2001 short fictional story, The on reallife sets. Man’s Land to Dying to Rural Teacher, about the final wish Xu says he had to shoot a lot of Survive, most of the films of a village schoolteacher, who has facial expressions that were used to Ning Hao has directed or cancer, to teach his students about One of the most generate the green creature’s. Fproduced use black comedy to Newton’s laws of motion — an During the promotional event in important examine social issues. effort that unexpectedly ends up Beijing on Jan 17, Ning also So, many people were surprised saving humankind. functions of released a photo of a giant tear when the 42yearold director Ning read the story about nine cinema is to reflect dropshaped spaceship, inspired recently revealed he has been a sci years ago. by a mysterious facility depicted in fi fan since he was young. “I really like Liu’s novels,” he says. social issues and Liu’s celebrated novel, The Three Scifi content carried by once “I started to read them one by portray people Body Problem. popular productions like the Kun one. After seriously chewing “It’s amazing and spectacular,” mingbased comic magazine, Aomi through all of his works, I can see struggling to says Liu, who also attended the (“profound mysteries”), and the they boast a variety of flavors, resolve their event. 1980s animated series, The Trans including epic narration, localized problems.” The internationally acclaimed formers, opened his eyes and made backgrounds, bold imagination scifi novelist believes such a him curious about “other worlds”, and values.” Ning Hao, film director design works because he has a rule he said at a recent news confer Ning has long wished to adapt that alien creatures or structures ence. one of Liu’s works into a feature shouldn’t be portrayed as humans His scifi film, Crazy Alien, will length film. worked on six films with Ning, would imagine them to be. open across the Chinese mainland He ultimately decided upon The including the runaway hit, Dying to “The photo makes you feel very in less than two weeks. It’ll be his Rural Teacher because its absurd Survive, which Ning produced and strange and remote,” Liu says. first time contending for a top spot ism fitted the theme he was seeking Wen Muye directed. “One look convinces you it’s not during the lucrative Spring Festival for his next film. The new film also stars Ameri from Earth.” holiday. It’ll face 11 rivals during But the story of Crazy Alien, can actors Matthew Morrison and Film, he adds, offers one of the the period, starting on Feb 5, the penned by five screenwriters, Tom Pelphrey. Oscar winner Joel best ways to visualize scifi worlds. first day of the Year of the Pig. including Sun Xiaohang and Wu Hynek is one of the visualeffects Ning says the movie is actually The seven films Ning has made Nan, is completely different from directors. about people who are outdated and during the past decade have the book. “I don’t speak English,” Ning how they think about themselves. grossed nearly 2 billion yuan ($295 Two best friends, played by Shen says. “One of the most important func million). and Huang, struggle to become “So, it’s a pity we had communi tions of cinema is to reflect social The film is led by superstar rich in an unnamed coastal Chi cation difficulties because of the issues and portray people strug actors Huang Bo, Shen Teng and nese city. But they’re thrown for a language barrier.” gling to resolve their problems,” he Xu Zheng, who are big boxoffice loop by an extraterrestrial, who Ning says the workload that says. Scenes from Crazy Alien, which stars actors Shen Teng (top and draws. also catches the attention of a mys came with using so many digital above left), Huang Bo (second from top and above right) and Lei It’s loosely inspired by Hugo terious Western force. effects was challenging, since his Contact the writer at Jiayin (third from top). PHOTOS PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY Awardwinning writer Liu Cixin’s Xu, who plays the alien, has previous films were mostly shot [email protected] Documentary explores the significance of Zhongguancun
By LI YINGXUE du, Sohu and Netease. The documentary features more [email protected] According to Jin Ling, the produc than 100 people, including entrepre er, the documentary took 18 months neurs, scientists, professionals, gov Documentary director Liu Junwei to complete. ernment officials and others who The significance of had been planning to make a docu “Many think that Zhongguancun witnessed the development of Zhongguancun is to mentary about Zhongguancun, Chi is just a place in Beijing’s Haidian Zhongguancun. Ni Guangnan from na’s entrepreneurial and innovation district, but this documentary also the Chinese Academy of Engineer show how science hub in Beijing, for years. But he includes 17 locations in the city,” says ing impressed Liu with his attitude. and technology is the needed a peg for the story. And 2018 Jin. “He is still thinking about develop provided the perfect opportunity as A special film crew took more ment and industrialization, and he is primary productive it was the 40th anniversary of than one year to shoot scenes in also helping young people,” says Liu. force.” reform and openingup. Zhongguancun in different seasons. Two themes connect the stories in Speaking about why he wanted to And a research team was assigned to the sixepisode documentary — one Liu Junwei, director make the documentary, Liu says: collect historical material, including is the timeline and the other focuses “Everyone has heard of Zhongguan photos, videos, documents and on the development of Zhongguan cun, but some still think it’s a market newspapers that would showcase cun, from independent innovation for electronic goods.” the story of Zhongguancun. centers there to market reforms and As he researched Zhongguancun, “The first generation of the entre international cooperation. he realized the electronics market preneurs provided us with many “The significance of Zhongguan was just the outcome of one phase of rare materials, including old photos, cun is to show how science and tech the area’s development. mails, manuscripts and products,” nology is the primary productive So what is the secret of Zhong says Jin. force, and the importance of funda guancun, and what does it mean for And museums and corporate mental research and talent training,” the social and economic develop archives were also sources of materi says Liu. ment of today’s society? al for the research team, as they con One of Liu’s interviewees says in With these questions in mind, Liu tained documents such as the first the film that Zhongguancun is a top started to shoot the documentary. registration certificate of a privately hub of scientific and technological The sixepisode documentary owned hightech company. innovation. named after the area, aired in “We also got material from the Liu says the people in Zhongguan December on the science and educa public. For example, an early Lenovo In still images from the sixepisode documentary, Zhongguancun, cun “live in the future”. tion channel of China Central Televi computer in the documentary is bor an entrepreneur holds his product (top), and a night view of “Our discussion about the signifi sion, looks at Chinese entrepreneurs rowed from a technology enthusi Zhongguancun, where the innovation hub is located in Beijing. cance of Zhongguancun is actually A poster of the documentary and internet companies such as Bai ast,” says Jin. PHOTOS PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY exploring the future,” Liu adds. Zhongguancun.