Film festivals are like a freshly sprouted garden in early summer. The potential is exciting and the audience always wants to see more but is forced to wait another season. The films that are submitted are created from around the world. We are able to observe how culture can influence films and stories. Some will impact you and others will inspire. There is shock and there is serenity within the catalogue of films selected for the screenings. Jump into the experience and you will leave with a new understanding, a different point of view, a passion for a cause you never knew was there and possibly a reason to create your own first film.
The GPIFF is designed to bring filmmakers together and synergize ideas while fostering relationships. The talent uncovered and showcased at the festival is comparable to a diamond mine. The display case is the theatre.
I had the great pleasure of reaching out to filmmaker, Ziyi Zheng about her film Under One Small Star.
“Where did the inspiration for the film come from?”
“I was a film student at school back then, and I’ve already written a script for my thesis film. One morning I was sitting on my toilet and reading news as usual, then I saw a piece of news about a guy in Japan who was trying to commit a suicide. However, a fish dish prevented him from killing himself because the fish was so delicious. This news immediately hit me. Sometimes, you will have a whole new perspective if you can see things in a slightly different way. Then I wrote this story and made it as my thesis film instead.”
“How did you find the lead actress?”
“I was frustrated during the casting process cause after meeting almost a hundred of actresses during the auditions, I can’t find anyone who would be perfect for this role. Then I reached out to all the filmmakers I knew (basically my classmates and professors in film school) for recommendations. And someone who worked with one of my classmates before recommended Ri. I saw her photos, I got a very positive feeling and I invited her to one of my auditions. She came and acted one or two scenes and we talked for a while. Then I knew I found my Lily Lee.”
“Why did you decide to tell the story with limited dialogue?”
“Lily Lee is a lonely girl and her best friend is a toy bull. In the film, her mind is occupied with fantasizing herself trying to commit suicide. I think to reveal what is in her mind and to show her characteristics visually is more powerful than make her speak.”
“How long did it take you to shoot it and where was the location?”
“It took two weekends (6 days) to finish the shooting. And it was shot in LA.”
“What is the message in the film?”
“When someone commits a suicide, instead of showing sympathy, people sometimes tend to blame the dead for being too vulnerable and irresponsible for their families and friends. My film aims to focus on an ordinary girl’s struggles and inner pains in humorous and satire way. I hope I can use this film to tell everyone who is suffering from their pains that they’re NOT alone. We are all the same. It is beautiful to feel vulnerable and it is important to be comfortable with who we really are.”
“What size of film crew did you use?”
“Almost every crewmember was my classmates and students from school. Sometimes we had almost 20 people on set, sometimes we only got less than 10 people on set.”
“Are you inspired by the style of other directors?”
“Wes Anderson’s Moonrise Kingdom was a big inspiration for me on how to use color to create the characters and the mood.”
“What types of films do you want to make in the future?”
“I would like to try different genres but the stories should always focus on humanity.”
“When do you plan to make a feature film and do you already have a script?”
“I had finished one feature script already and currently writing another feature film about a businesswoman. I plan to shoot a short version of this businesswoman film next February in order to promote my feature script in the future.”
“Why do you enjoy making films?”
“It’s beautiful to create emotion impacts on audience by telling stories in visual compelling ways. Take the audience on a magic journey that makes them run away from reality and forget about themselves for 100 minutes and then reflect on themselves afterwards. “
