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Bai Xue’s directorial debut, The Crossing, has won wide international acclaim. Photos provided to China Daily |
BAFTA Breakthrough China awardee Bai Xue’s debut film as director, The Crossing, has resonated with audiences all over the world, despite having a distinctly Chinese setting.
“Human emotions are borderless,” says Bai, explaining the reactions to her movie. “In my films, building characters and exploring human nature are my constant and equal goals.”
The Crossing tells the story of a young girl (brilliantly portrayed by Huang Yao) who is drawn into the murky world of smuggling goods across the boundary between Hong Kong and the Chinese mainland. Since its release in March, the film has received global critical acclaim and picked up a slew of awards and nominations at international festivals.
The Beijing Film Academy graduate showed commercial savvy with The Crossing, mixing her sometimes-grim tale about the fringes of contemporary society with a street-smart style. The Guardian likened her style to that of Oscar-winning American filmmaker Sofia Coppola. Bai is among an increasing number of Chinese filmmakers who are delving into deeper issues through their films and are also finding an audience for what previously might have been labeled as arthouse cinema or the sort made for the festival circuit.
Bai says her goal as a filmmaker is to tell Chinese stories as well as share what she frames as “Oriental feelings and emotions” with other audiences all around the world.
Bai reveals winning the BAFTA award came as a bit of a shock. “The name (BAFTA) itself says it all,” she says. “All I could do was quote a song by Alison Krauss: ‘You say it best when you say nothing at all’!”
Bai hopes mentorship from BAFTA winners will help to further grow the reputation The Crossing forged for her as one of Chinese cinema’s rising stars and maybe even lead to future international collaborations.
“As a newbie, I think this initiative will bring more Chinese creatives to international attention, and by learning from their prestigious British peers, these Chinese talents will produce more brilliant content for global audiences,” says Bai. “I hope to learn more about the current film industry in the UK, visit some film companies and establish relationships with some local directors,” she adds.
She also hopes to meet one of her heroes, Mike Leigh. The acclaimed British filmmaker may have years more experience than the emerging talent, but the two share the same desire to look into the day-to-day lives of common people when they reflect on society as a whole.
“I admire the way he depicts ordinary people and their daily lives. I wish I had his eyes and the Midas touch,” says Bai.
(HK Edition 11/01/2019 page11)