The Shanghai International film festival is a time to bring together the country's most creative minds. Young Chinese directors have gathered to talk about the status quo and the future of China's film industry. Facing a rapidly growing market, and the clashes brought by Hollywood movies, these young directors seem to have a lot of pressure upon their shoulders.
Attended by many young Chinese directors, the Industry Summit of Shanghai International Film Festival has somehow turned into a forum for complaints. Especially for Director Wang Xiaoshuai, whose new movie "Eleven Flowers" has received a cold welcome at the box office.
Wang says, "We made some 12 hundred digital copies. But the box-office turned out to be depressing. At many cinemas, there is only one screening for one day."
It's the same for Director Guan Hu and his new production "Design of Death". Many directors are confused, needing to reflect on the current situation.
Guan says, "Strictly speaking, every film of ours has many problems. It is true. So we have to work hard to correct it. Complaints don't help anything. We should fix problems ourselves."
On the one hand, more foreign films are being imported; on the other, more Chinese capital is being invested in foreign films. Faced with increasing pressure, it is no wonder all the directors are thinking of ways to tackle the situation.
Huo Jiaqi, the director says, "We should face the competition and try to improve ourselves. And we should have more excellent commercial movies."
It's not easy to balance art with commerce. Deeper integration and cooperation seems more and more necessary.
Jackie Chan, the director and actor says, "If film resources from the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong and Taiwan could integrate, I believe it would serve audiences in East and Southeast Asia very much."
Small budget movie "First Time" combines a director and actors from the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong and Taiwan. It has performed well at the box office.
In fact, cooperation has already become a trend not only in Chinese language films but also on the global stage.
Jean-Jacques Annaud, the jury president of Shanghai International film festival says, "Global cooperation is the trend. But one should never lose its dominant position. China has a long history and profound culture, which are all good materials and has advantage on the world stage. Using high technology from countries like US will help China's film to go global."
As Mr Annaud suggests, Chinese film makers shoud think about how to make use of China's cultural and brain resources and how to meet challenges through cooperation.