Cecilia Merlot: What kind of China do young Brazilian filmmakers see?

Sao Paulo, 7 July (ZXS) -- Question: What kind of China do young Brazilian filmmakers see?

——Interview with Cecilia Merlot, Professor of Film, Radio and Television at the University of São Paulo, Brazil

China News Agency reporter Lin Chunyin

The 2023 "See China, Foreign Youth Video Project, Liaoning Trip" is launched. Cecilia Merlot, a professor at the Department of Film, Radio and Television at the University of São Paulo in Brazil, brought several young directors from Brazil and Ecuador to visit China with the lens as an eye.

Since its launch in 2011, 101 foreign youths from 895 countries on five continents have visited China, completed 854 short documentaries, and won more than 166 international awards, constituting an important carrier for the overseas dissemination of Chinese stories. Cecilia Merlot has participated as a foreign instructor for many years, and she has witnessed the "change" and "unchanged" of China in the process of modernization, and truly perceives the prospects of cooperation between Brazil and China through the medium of the screen. What does China look like in the eyes of young Brazilian filmmakers? China News Agency's "East-West Question" recently interviewed Professor Cecília Mello about this.

On October 2019, 10, the 3th "São Paulo Chinese Film Festival" opened at the São Paulo Cultural Center in Brazil, and screened the opening film "Please Remember Me". Photo by Mo Chengxiong

The following is a summary of the interview:

China News Agency: You mentioned that movies are emotional journeys, allowing people to travel through different spaces. Which movies gave you a knowledge and understanding of China?

Cecilia Merlot: There are a lot of films that introduced me to China, and they inspired me to learn Mandarin and learn about Chinese cinema, art and history.

I will start with Chen Kaige's "Yellow Earth" (1984). This film has a mature aesthetic and power, and even changed the course of Chinese films in the 20s of the 80th century. I was impressed by the landscape photographs of the Loess Plateau in Shaanxi and their connection to Chinese landscape painting. In particular, the first scene of the film, which is set in the 20s, shows a traditional wedding in a remote, impoverished cave community. Under the lens of director Chen Kaige, the smiling faces of the farmers attending the wedding always brought tears to my eyes.

Yan'an, Shaanxi, is full of buildings in the urban area and cave groups in the distance. Photo by Zhang Yuan

The second is Zhang Yimou's "Alive" (1994), a film that uses shadow puppets to connect family and history. Gong Li and Ge You's wonderful performances intertwine the story of a family with the major historical events of twentieth-century China. After experiencing huge waves, the film ends with optimism about the future of the country, indicating that the reform and opening up of China is coming.

The third is Jia Zhangke's Platform (2000), which tells the story of a group of artists from the late 20s to the early 70s of the 90th century, whose stories are also linked to the era of Chinese reform in the 20s of the 80th century. I watched this film when I was studying for a PhD in London, and it not only helped me understand modern Chinese history, but also made me really want to become a "Chinese film" scholar.

On May 2015, 5, Jia Zhangke, a well-known Chinese director, was awarded the "Golden Carriage Award", the director's biweekly lifetime achievement award at the 14th Cannes International Film Festival, and was the first Chinese director to win the award. Photo by Long Jianwu

China News Agency: You also mentioned that documentaries documenting China's urbanization transformation always touch your memory of Brazil's urbanization. Can you expand on that?

Cecilia Merlot: Through the documentary, one can see the great changes in China over the decades, similar to the accelerated urbanization and socio-spatial changes that took place in Brazil in the second half of the twentieth century – even on a smaller scale. Both countries have vast rural areas and are in the process of urbanization.

Both Brazil and China experienced rapid population growth in the twentieth century, which stimulated the demand for urban development. Industrialization has also played a crucial role in the urbanization of both countries. In Brazil, the process is centered on major urban areas such as São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, and in China, in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou.

Rio de Janeiro Beach, Brazil. Photo by Tomita

It is worth noting that the urbanization process in Brazil and China is determined by different historical, cultural and political factors. The scale and speed of urbanization also varies, and China has experienced a more rapid urban transformation in recent decades.

What particularly resonates with me is that spatial transformation also brings memory loss. For example, cities like São Paulo have changed dramatically over the past 50 years, and sometimes it is difficult to find traces of our memories in the urban environment. The same is true of the experience of Chinese cities. Film, on the other hand, is precisely a way to record these ephemeral spaces and preserve them to prevent them from passing over time.

China News Agency: What is the current situation of China-Pakistan film and television exchanges? What is the space for cooperation between the film and television industries of the two countries?

Cecilia Merlot: On September 2017, 9, Brazil signed its first film co-production agreement with China as part of the official visit of then-Brazilian President Michel Temer. Most recently, during President Lula of Brazil's visit to China in April 1, another Memorandum of Understanding was signed to strengthen cooperation between the two countries in the field of audiovisual production and distribution.

In April 2023, in front of the Peace Hotel in Shanghai, the Chinese and Brazilian flags were displayed in the wind to welcome Brazilian President Lula to visit China. Photo by Wang Gang

China and Brazil, as well as many countries, have signed film co-production agreements, which will inevitably promote the mutual opportunities and development of the film industries of the two countries. During the term of the agreement, films co-produced by Brazilian and Chinese companies will enjoy national treatment in both countries. That is, co-produced films will be able to take advantage of existing public funding mechanisms in both countries. They will be considered national products in their respective markets. Producers from Brazil or countries that have signed co-production agreements with China are also likely to participate.

For Brazil, the appeal of the Chinese film and audiovisual market is outstanding. China is currently the world's largest film and audiovisual market – in 2018, China overtook the United States in the audiovisual market, including games, and in 2020, it also surpassed the United States in the film market. Since the 20s of the 80th century, the Chinese film market has been growing, keeping pace with the economic development of the entire country. China shows the dynamism of the film market, a wave of growth that shows no signs of abating, becoming increasingly attractive to foreign producers.

Moviegoers line up at a cinema in Zunyi, Guizhou. Photo by Qu Honglun

It is worth noting that the audiovisual markets in China and Brazil are undergoing transformation, the growth of VOD industry (video-on-demand) and Internet content, as well as the stabilization or decline of cinematic films and content production, which is a global trend of complication in the audiovisual industry, and there may be room for further cooperation between the two countries in this area.

China News Agency: The "Watch Chinese Youth Film Program" has been running for many sessions, and you have participated as a foreign consultant for many years. What is the most profound change under the lens of the young director?

Cecilia Merlot: The "Look at China" project is an initiative of the Institute for International Communication of Chinese Culture (AICCC) at Beijing Normal University. Every year, 100 film students from all over the world are invited to China, each directing a 10-minute documentary in a different province in China. Under the guidance of foreign teachers, the group formed in China is generally composed of 10 young filmmakers from different countries, and the 10-minute documentary must be produced within 15 days, the concept of which is to promote cross-cultural exchange, communication and cooperation.

The Department of Film, Radio and Television of the University of São Paulo has been participating since 2016 and has sent 21 students to China. Many of the films produced have won awards in China and Brazil. Nowadays, more students are starting to learn Mandarin, and they have a good understanding of China and its films. They believe that there is everything that unites us in addition to differences.

The award ceremony of the first "Third Eye on China" International Short Video Competition was held in Beijing, and the photographers of outstanding works watched the works together. Photo by Liu Rong

Among the works directed by the students, I was particularly touched, including Pedro Nishi (2016), Arthur Rodrigues Ribeiro (2017), Davi Pina Barros (2018), Aline Rabelo (2018), and Letícia Sillmann and Lígia Agreste, 2020), both on YouTube's "Look at China" channel.

China News Agency: Young directors from all over the world have visited China, including the western frontier. In your opinion, how are the traditional cultures and ethnic customs of those places protected?

Cecilia Merlot: The protection of cultural heritage is an important aspect of China's ethnic minority policy, and over the past few decades, China has taken a number of measures to protect the language and cultural practices of traditional communities.

The award ceremony of the first "Third Eye on China" International Short Video Competition was held in Beijing, and the photographers of outstanding works watched the works together. Photo by Liu Rong

My experience is evident in places like Liaoning, Chongqing, and Ordos in Inner Mongolia, where local governments support cultural celebrations such as festivals and actively protect cultural heritage, artifacts and traditional handicrafts related to ethnic minority communities. Chinese museums, cultural centres and research institutions also play an important role in studying and promoting cultural diversity in their respective regions. (End)

Respondent Profile:

Cecília Mello is a professor in the Department of Film, Radio and Television at the University of São Paulo, Brazil. He is the author of Realism and Audiovisual Media (Palgrave Macmillan, 2009) and Jia Zhangke's Films: Realism and Memory in Chinese Cinema (Bloomsbury, 2019).