thThe 16 ifva Asian New Force Category Jury Meeting Transcript

Jurors in Attendance: Maggie Lee(LEE), Aruna Vasudev (ARUNA), Cheng Hsiao-Tse(CHENG)
Organizer Representatives: Teresa Kwong (KWONG)
Translator: Tammy Cheung

LEE:

I did the pre-selection and when I thought about the works again, I like theMongolian one more than I thought. It’s really beautiful and for a documentary, it
has so much drama.

ARUNA:

You’re deeply wounded by the tragedy of the situation, yet it is done without any
tragedy. It’s just telling the story about the people, and it moves you to tears. It’s avery strong film.

LEE:

The editing is very concise, and the use of musical symphony is very good.

ARUNA:

It’s not done in a tragic way, but it’s done in a straight-forward way, which touches
you even more deeply. I was also very touched by the Georgian film The AprilChill.

CHENG: I feel documentaries and fiction films should not be put in the same category. I likethe Mongolian film too, but I can’t use the same standard to judge it as fiction films. I
myself also make fiction films, I know that the story-telling technique and thedirector’s point of view is very different between a fiction film and a documentary.
But I do understand the message of the film, and I was able to feel its power andsincerity.

ARUNA:How do you feel about the other films in general?

CHENG: I personally like the Georgian film. I find the mise-en-scene very mature. Even
though I don’t understand the historical background of the country, I can feel theimpact of the story through its strong imagery.

In general the standard of the films

is quite high. I know some of the Taiwanese directors, and I was impressed by theircreativity. Overall there is a great variety among the finalist works, they include
many different kinds of stories, which is wonderful.

LEE:

Even though the award tries to look for more edgy works with interesting newtechniques, there is not many experimental works. Most are conventional narrativeworks.

KWONG: Do you see the same case in other festivals?

LEE:

ifva entries from early years were more experimental. Maybe even five years ago.

KWONG: Even though I didn’t see all the 500 entries, maybe there are some experimental
works among them, but maybe they’re not very good. That’s why they didn’t make itinto the 70 in the second round.

LEE:

Even among the 70 I didn’t see many experimental films, maybe only two.

KWONG: The Asian New Force category is very competitive.

ARUNA:

My mom’s great Kimchi stew has a great sense of humor, which is such apleasure. Lies also to some extent. Most of the work is very serious.

LEE:It’s also quite an original idea.

ARUNA:The young boy in My mom’s great Kimchi stew is very good.

CHENG: It’ is not easy to make a comedy in terms of acting and editing. This film generated
a lot of laughter at the screening.

KWONG: What do you think of Repair ?

CHENG: I like it, but if the editing were improved it would be a better film. Even though I knew
the ending would come, it still moved me.

LEE:

When I did the first round selection, my first favorite was The April Chill, I also liked
Sleeping with Her, but maybe it’s too pretty, and the storytelling may be too simple.

ARUNA:

I thought Once Upon a Time in Kinmen also has a sense of humor. It’s very nicely
done.

CHENG: Sleeping with Her is by a female director, so it’s very unexpected of her to make afilm like that, to express a psychological state. The cinematographer is very good,and I know much of the film was shot in a studio. The cinematography is very
beautiful.

LEE:

I met the director in Rotterdam a year ago, who told me that they tried to contact afamous Indonesian actress for the role. I liked the fact that even though the director
was only making a short film, she’s trying to cooperate with a different culture.

CHENG:I saw a previous version of Birthday, the whole story takes place inside a livingroom. This is the second version of the film, and the characterization is much richer.
In the screening, I noticed the audience was very touched by this film.

LEE:

What do you think of Kinmen?

CHENG: I think the directors are very bold in tackling this subject matter about China-Taiwanrelationship. Most Taiwan directors wouldn’t touch this issue. The directors used asatirical approach, which makes it quite special.

LEE:

Some of the cultural reference like the songs is very specific, and I don’t know if aforeign audience would understand it.

ARUNA:

It’s necessary to know social/historical background to understand a film, but films
can make you understand also. Directors should state such information in thesynopsis so that the audience can understand it. Happy Birthday is not a great film,
but it is such a clever social commentary on what is happening in Iran and is filledwith humor. It’s very strong and very well done.

KWONG: During the first round, we saw a lot of good short films from Taiwan, but many ofthem are about family. Maggie suggested we include Once Upon a Time inKinmen because it is more ambitious. It’s not just about family but more about
politics. That’s why we included it in the top ten. Do you want to say anything about
Happy Birthday?

ARUNA:

I don’t have much to say about it. It’s nicely done. I really liked the way the director
made a clever commentary on the Iranian situation. But as a film I prefer the others.

LEE:

I thought Happy Birthday is good and well made, but I don’t have a strong
emotional reaction to it. I don’t know why.

ARUNA:

Because it’s a very simple film about relationships.

CHENG: In terms of acting, both the girl and the boy are very good.

Repair. I don’t like the actor in it.

LEE:

All the other films have good acting too. Except

ARUNA:

The actors in Lies and My mom’s great Kimchi stew are very good.

KWONG: The Disappearing Guangzhou is another documentary from China. What do you
think about it?

CHENG: I find the film to be very long when I watched it, which shows that there a problem
with it.

ARUNA:

It’s an exciting subject, but I don’t think it came through.

CHENG: If this is for a TV broadcast, it’s okay, especially the first half, but as a documentary,
it doesn’t go deep enough.

LEE:

The reason we included this among the finalists is to encourage the filmmaker,
because we’ve seen so many Chinese documentaries talk about really bigproblems and people suffering so much, but this film has a different style.

CHENG: The style of this film is quite unique.

ARUNA:

It’s very interesting to explore the transformation of a city and, with it, thetransformation of people’s lifestyles.

LEE:

We also want to encourage this filmmaker because the film is in Cantonese. The
government is trying so hard to suppress the dialect. There was a demonstration
where people wanted the freedom to speak Cantonese, and people got arrested. Idon’t think it deserves to win. We just wanted it in the selection.

KWONG: Each of you can select two or three works that deserve awards.

LEE:

My favorites are April Chill, ZUD. COLD SYMPHONY and My mom’s great
Kimchi stew.

ARUNA:

These are my three favorites too, but I also like Lies.

LEE:

Lies is good too, but I think My mom’s great Kimchi stew is very strong.

ARUNA:

Lies has a lovely idea, especially how the relationship between the kids comes out.
It’s very nicely done.

CHENG: April Chill, Repair and Happy Birthday.

KWONG: We’ll eliminate those which have got no votes: Lies, The Disappearing
Guangzhou, Birthday, Once Upon a Time in Kinmen, Sleeping with Her. Are
you ready to vote for the grand prize, or would you like to discuss a little bit?

ARUNA:

There are two with only one vote, Repair and Happy Birthday. Maybe you can tryto convince us.

CHENG: It’s not necessary. Aruna, yesterday you told me that you like Happy Birthday.

ARUNA:I do, but after seeing the other works today, I like them better.

LEE:I think there is a problem with describing the psychological state of the girl in HappyBirthday. She’s very anxious, but it’s a bit confusing. In the pre-selection Hitomi
was really against this film, because she feels it doesn’t make sense for the girl tobehave this way. It’s impossible that they do not find out this news. The basic
premise is unrealistic.

ARUNA:

It doesn’t bother me. They don’t have television and the internet, and they wanted
the girl to have a happy birthday. I understand their desire to protect the little sister.

LEE:

The technique and emotion of Happy Birthdayare good.

KWONG: Are you all ready to nominate the grand prize?

ARUNA:

April Chill got all three votes. I suggest dividing the prize between the Mongolian
and the Georgian films. I think they are both very good.

LEE:

I would like to give special mention to My mom’s great Kimchi stew because it’s
so enjoyable.

CHENG: Does that mean we split the grand prize into two?

KWONG: Yes and they would divide the prize money.

LEE:

If you don’t like ZUD. COLD SYMPHONY so much, we can respect that.

CHENG: That’s not what I mean. What I’m thinking of is the name of the award. If I were anaward recipient, I would like to know why I received the award.

Documentaries areat a disadvantage when competing with fiction films. If we split the grand prize,
should we name the award differently for the documentary?

LEE:

I personally think it would be okay to just give the award to April Chill.

ARUNA:

I think the Mongolian film is so good, you should divide the award. It talks about aterrible tragedy without sentimentality, which is extremely difficult to do. It’s the kindof film that will stay with me. Some images I will never forget, like the scene when
he says he will buy 5 kilos of flour for my family. But he says it very calmly as heoffers the animal skin. April Chill also has moments like that, and for me it’s very
difficult to choose between them.

LEE:

I like them both as well. Objectively speaking, April Chill is obviously better as afilm technically, whereas emotionally I’m touched by ZUD. COLD SYMPHONY.

ARUNA:The Mongolian film is also very well done and well shot.

LEE:

If we give them both the grand prize, it would look like they are equally good, but I
think April Chill is better.

ARUNA:

They are equally good. It’s a majority decision, and I’ll go by that. But I really urge
you because it’ll be very helpful for both filmmakers to get that money.

LEE:

What about special mention?

ARUNA:

We can give it to My mom’s great Kimchi stew if you like.

LEE:

We can give the camera to ZUD. COLD SYMPHONY and the money to AprilChill?

ARUNA:The money and the recognition of an award would mean a lot to both of them,because neither is a big filmmaking country, and it would mean a lot for local
audiences to see films from Mongolia and Georgia. So I urge you to divide theaward.

CHENG: ZUD. COLD SYMPHONY is very moving. As a documentary it is hard to compare itwith fiction films.

ARUNA:

April Chil lis also documentary. It is based on actual facts.

CHENG: I think it would be unfair if the documentary didn’t get a prize. I think these two films
should get prizes. I think April Chillshould get the grand prize and ZUD. COLDSYMPHONY the second prize, if you have such a prize.

LEE:I like them both, but I feel it would be slightly unfair for April Chill to share the prize
because in my opinion it is better. I don’t know if there is a way around that.

KWONG: The organizers are quite flexible. In the past we have had two entries for grandprize, and two entries for special mention.

LEE:

I think ZUD. COLD SYMPHONY deserves more than a special mention.

KWONG: If we decide to give two grand prizes, they would split the $30,000. You asked
whether it’s possible to have a first and a second prize, with both receiving somemoney. We haven’t done that before, we could try and accommodate it.

ARUNA:

We can give the special jury prize to ZUD. COLD SYMPHONY with a little lessmoney.

LEE:

That’s a great idea.

ARUNA:

We can give $10,000 and the camera to ZUD. COLD SYMPHONY, and April Chillgets $20,000, and special mention to My mom’s great Kimchi stew.

KWONG: Then the value of the prizes will be similar.

ARUNA:

Yes, but the grand prize is more prestigious.

LEE:

That’s fine with me.

CHENG: What would the entrants and participants think?

ARUNA:

That doesn’t matter. It’s for ifva to decide.

CHENG: I have participated in competitions like this before, and was upset when theychanged the prizes.

KWONG: We have never encountered this problem before. In the past we have had twogrand prize winners, and nobody complained. Our principle is that only two works
split the prize, not three or four. So we decide that April Chil lis the Grand Prizewinner and gets $20,000, ZUD. COLD SYMPHONY gets the special jury prize with
$10,000 and the camera. Then special mention for My mom’s great Kimchi stew.

Asian New Force Category
Grand Prize
The April Chill
Tornike BZIAVA (Georgia)
Special Jury Prize
ZUD. COLD SYMPHONYMARKHAA Buyan (Mongolia)
Special Mention
My mom's great Kimchi stew
HAN Seung-hun (South Korea)