18 | Thursday, October 24, 2019 LIFE CHINA DAILY HONG KONG EDITION More than a safe landing
Film inspired by reallife event makes top 10 list at China’s box office, Li Yingxue reports.
tarring Zhang Hanyu, Ou Hao, Du Jiang and Yuan Quan, The Captain had earned nearly 2.72 billion Syuan ($383 million) by Wednesday since it hit theaters in China on Sept The production team of the film The Chef, which won the silver 30, joining the list of the top 10 films medal in the Narrative (Domestic Film Schools) category, attend of all time at the country’s box office. the 46th Student Academy Awards ceremony in California on Even though the winning block Oct 17. PHOTOS BY GAO SHAN / XINHUA buster of this year’s National Day holiday week was My People, My Country, The Captain’s daily boxof fice takings have surpassed the anthology since Oct 5, and the gap Academy honors between the commercial perform ance of the two films has narrowed since, according to boxoffice track Chinese filmmakers er Maoyan. “We tried different ways to get the audience’s attention, from the at Student Oscars selection of the cast to the budget for special effects, and I’m glad it LOS ANGELES — Chinese film worked out,” says Hong Kong makers were among those hon director Andrew Lau. ored at the 46th Student Academy Born in 1960, Lau started to Awards ceremony held last week direct films in 1990 and created the at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Young and Dangerous series. His Beverly Hills, California. works also include the Infernal The Student Academy Awards Affairs trilogy, Initial D and The is an international student film Founding of an Army. competition conducted by the The Captain is based on a reallife Academy of Motion Picture Arts event in which Sichuan Airlines and the Academy Foundation. pilot Liu Chuanjian managed to Above: Actor Zhang Hanyu This year’s event presented 16 Stu land an Airbus A319 safely after the (center) plays the captain dent Academy Awards. cockpit window broke at an alti in the film adapted from Chinese student filmmaker, Sun tude of nearly 10,000 meters en Liu Chuanjian’s story. Yifan, won the gold medal in the route to Lhasa, Tibet autonomous Right: A model of the Documentary (International Film Sun Yifan, Chinese student region, from Chongqing on May 14, Airbus A319 was recreated Schools) category for her film filmmaker, wins a gold medal 2018. to replicate actual scenes Family Squared which follows a with her film Family Squared It’s one of the most miraculous from the event. Chinese girl, Lola, who was adopt at the 46th Student Academy emergency landings in Chinese civil PHOTOS PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY ed into a Belgian family as an Awards ceremony. aviation history as the plane lost infant, fulfill her dream of reunit most of its automated controls and ing with her biological parents, the copilot was sucked out of the when Lola’s two families met for young director, noting that he plane due to sudden decompression. the first time last year. hopes to show Chinese culture to Liu managed to regain control of Sun was born in Hohhot in the the Western world through his the plane and made a successful I want audiences Inner Mongolia autonomous films. landing in Chengdu, capital of Sich region in 1988 and received a The producer and cowriter of uan province, saving all 128 people to feel like they are Bachelor’s degree in film studies The Chef, Deng Yixian, says the on board, including nine crew mem sitting on a roller at the Beijing Film Academy in story is a thoughtprovoking look bers. 2009. at the historical pattern of human Lau recalls seeing the news story coaster to Because of her admiration for development and its future. when it broke, and last September, experience the film director Krzysztof Kieslowski, Another cowriter of the film, he received a phone call from Yu Sun now attends the Lodz Film Kong Leqi, attributes the success Dong, president of the Bona Film whole landing scenes,” Lau says. Lau complimented the cast’s per School in Poland. of the film to teamwork, noting Group, inviting him to be the direct process.” A model of an Airbus A319 was formance, not only those in lead She describes her documentary that those integral to the produc or of the film adaptation of Liu’s sto built for the movie. Lau says he roles but also those who played the as a cultural and emotional jour tion hail from China and other ry, but he was surprised by the Andrew Lau, wanted the audience to feel how real passengers on the plane as they dealt ney between East and West. Asian countries. yearlong deadline for the film’s Hong Kong director it was. with the emergency. “The love for Lola links two fam The Student Academy Awards release. “People told me to make the inside “The cast members created an ilies in two faraway continents, were established in 1972 to sup “Usually a film like this would take of the plane wider because it would atmosphere similar to the real situa forming a big, happy family,” she port and encourage excellence in two years to shoot and make, includ be easier to shoot, but I insisted on tion inside the plane,” he adds. says. filmmaking at the collegiate level. ing the postproduction period, the plane design being similar to It has been a busy year for Lau. “I’m so happy to win a gold med Among them, previous Student which normally takes a year,” says that of the real aircraft,” he says. Two other films, The Bravest and al at the Student Oscars. When I Academy Award winners have Lau. Lau says he used to be a cinema Line Walker 2, produced by him and got the call from the academy to gone on to receive 62 Oscar nomi After accepting the challenge, he tographer, so he used his experience released this year, made 1.69 billion invite me to this ceremony, I nations and have won or shared 12 immediately started to prepare the and skill to manage the shoot in the yuan and 698.6 million yuan, respec couldn’t believe it,” she adds. awards. script and study the special effects. narrow space inside the plane. The tively. Another film, The Chef, directed This year, the Student Academy Shooting started on Jan 3 and took original event took place over the “It seems that I finished three by Hao Zheng from the American Awards competition received a another three months to finish. The course of around half an hour. To films at the same time, but they just Film Institute, won the silver total of 1,615 entries from 255 US details of how the crew members make a cinematic portrayal of it, Lau happened to be released close to medal in the Narrative (Domestic colleges and universities and 105 operated the plane gained the appre asked the scriptwriter to add more each other,” Lau says. Film Schools) category. The film, a applications from international ciation of civil aviation authorities. obstacles in the captain’s way while Switching his role from director to dark comedy drama set in a future schools. The filmmakers’ works Lau says his team interviewed and landing the plane back in Chengdu. producer, Lau says the move allowed where all laborious work is done are judged in seven categories — consulted different people at both “The clouds in the film are like a the director more space to share his by androids, focuses on Pu, a Chi four domestic school categories airports, including staff members of monster that stops the plane from own experiences. nese chef in his 60s who is (animation, documentary, narra control towers and runways. flying back home, and the entire “There’s an art to communicating ordered to teach one of them his tive and alternative) and three “Thanks to the staff from the air crew needed to fight together with with different directors and I’m still cooking skills. international school categories ports in both Chengdu and Lhasa. determination,” he says. “I want learning,” he adds. “The award is not only for me, (animation, documentary and They provided us with a lot of help audiences to feel like they are sitting but also for the many Chinese stu narrative). and also all the information we on a roller coaster to experience the Contact the writer at dents who come to the United needed to replicate the actual whole landing process.” [email protected] States to study film art,” says the XINHUA Song penned for 70th anniversary parade hits the right note
By WANG RU Speaking about the lyrics of the better, and I love my motherland.” [email protected] song, Zhao Daming, its librettist, Many listeners shared this senti says: “The lyrics were written in the ment, while others found the song The united military orchestra The song doesn’t first person, showing a soldier’s exciting. One user on music stream struck up, the troops began to move, symbolize just one toughness, his loyalty to the Com ing platform NetEase Cloud Music and then a chorus of 3,000 universi munist Party of China, his love for says: “I was driving a car when I ty students began to sing in unison. person, but the the motherland, his contribution to heard this song, and the sense of This was what people experienced at image of the whole benefiting people and his eagerness power in this song made me feel like the military parade to celebrate the to receive inspection from Party I was driving a tank.” People’s Republic of China’s 70th Chinese army ... to leaders and the Chinese people. “Listeners can form their own anniversary on Oct 1 in Beijing. show the Chinese “However, the song doesn’t sym understanding about the song, The song they performed with the bolize just one person, but the image which is the beauty of music,” says orchestra, Please Inspect, was the army in the new of the whole Chinese army,” says Zhao Lin. only piece composed especially for era and celebrate Zhao Daming. Zhao Lin and Zhao He says he was at the military the event — all the others accompa the 70th Daming collaborated to create a parade and heard the student choir nying the parade were adapted from song on the basis of a musical con sing it. He was happy with their per old tunes. anniversary of cept they devised “to show the Chi formance. “As a military song, it is Zhao Lin, the composer of Please Inspect, a song created for the Composer Zhao Lin says: “The China’s nese army in the new era and not an easy one for students to per military parade to mark the 70th anniversary of China on Oct 1. opening section features wind celebrate the 70th anniversary of form, as they are more used to sing PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY instruments, which help to convey a establishment.” China’s establishment”. ing pop songs. They also had to sense of the Chinese army’s prestige. Sina Weibo user Erloucun says: “I stand for four to five hours before Zhao Daming, librettist The second part of the song reflects have listened to this song repeatedly. their performance that day, but they Zhao Lin and Zhao Daming start September. They also attended sev the tough image of the army. Drums It is very well written, and expresses still conveyed the sense of power in ed working on the song in April, and eral rehearsals of the military are also used to encourage people to my heartfelt feelings, maybe other’s the song. They worked really hard,” continued to modify it to fit in with parade to ensure the song perfectly continue to make progress.” as well. Our lives really are getting he adds. the procedures of the parade until suited the occasion.