The submission of making a theme-based short film for the 2023 Maritime Guangdong Young Director Support Program officially ended on May 20th. The event has drawn great attention and participation of many Chinese young filmmakers domestically and internationally, including Chinese of foreign nationality, overseas graduates and students in universities. In addition, nearly half of the applicants boast experiences of being selected or awarded at international film festivals at home and abroad, making the competition increasingly keen.

The program, initiated exclusively by the Yangcheng Evening News, aims to find young filmmakers with unique insights into Lingnan culture and the culture of overseas Chinese. The program is expected to reinterpret Lingnan culture through works around overseas Chinese culture and present the international aspect of Lingnan culture. With the current selection of entries in high gear, the list of selected directors will be announced at the end of May. Six selected young ones will each receive up to 200,000 yuan and will complete their themed short film under the guidance and assistance of a professional mentor team.

From the registration of the competition, many overseas Chinese and overseas students in universities, same as their domestic counterparts, are also interested in this theme. The common concern and emotional resonance for the fate of overseas Chinese have brought these creators from all over the world together in the program.

More than three-quarters of the applicants are under the age of 35, of which the youngest is only 20 years old. Many of the applicants come from professional art schools at home and abroad such as New York Film Academy, London Film School, School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Beijing Film Academy, The Central Academy of Drama, Shanghai Vancouver Film School, and Qingdao Film Academy. Some have graduated from film-related majors at The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Baptist University, University of Macau, Jinan University, South China Agricultural University, Shanghai University, Kingston University London, Lancaster University, Temple University, University of Southern California, and UCLA. Among them, there are also professionals with master's or doctoral degrees.

Notably, nearly half of the young creators who registered for the program have been selected or awarded at international film festivals at home and abroad, including Beijing International Film Festival, Shanghai International Film Festival, Festival de Cannes, Moscow International Film Festival, Tokyo International Film Festival, San Sebastian International Film Festival, Manhattan Film Festival, The Asian University Film Festival, International Film Festival and Awards in Macao, Kassel Documentary Film and Video Festival, China Golden Rooster and Hundred Flowers Film Festival, FIRST International Film Festival, Pingyao International Film Festival, Silk Road International Film Festival, Beijing College Student Film Festival, and Guangzhou College Student Film Festival. The participation of these talents has driven the competition more intense.

According to the organizer, the creative process for the themed short film is from June to August, covering script writing and short film production. After the final check and acceptance, these short films are about to display in theMaritimeGuangdongShortFilmFestivalheld in September this year. The Yangcheng Evening News will work with partners in the Greater Bay Area and overseas to make a global tour for the young directors, helping them win their "first audiences" athomeandabroad. At the same time, the festivalwill deeply link the overseas Chinese community and individuals through the screening and exchange of short films themed around overseas Chinese culture and promote Lingnan culture to the world.

《高手云集！“山海计划”近半数报名者拥有国际电影节获奖经历》

——华侨华人主题短片创作征募20日截止，入选导演名单将于5月底公布

5月20日，2023“向山海走去”青年导演创作扶持计划（以下简称“山海计划”）主题短片创作赛道正式截止征募。活动吸引了来自海内外众多华人青年影像创作者的关注与参与，报名者中不乏外籍华人及海外高校的毕业生与在校生。此外，近半数报名者拥有海内外国际电影节入围或获奖的经历，令“山海计划”主题短片创作赛道的竞争愈加激烈。

“山海计划”由岭南文化大报羊城晚报独家发起，寻找对岭南文化和大湾区侨乡文化有独到见地的青年电影人才，期待通过华人华侨主题的创作重新阐释岭南文化，呈现岭南文化的国际面向。目前报名遴选工作正在紧张进行，入选导演名单将于5月底公布。届时，6位入选的青年导演将分别获得最高20万元的创作扶持金，并在专业导师团队的指导和帮助下完成主题短片创作。

从报名情况看，除了国内创作者，众多海外华人以及海外高校学生同样对这一主题兴趣浓厚。对华侨华人命运的共同关注和情感共振，将这些来自全球各地的创作者汇聚到了“山海计划”中。

超过四分之三的报名者年龄在35岁以下，年龄最小的创作者只有20岁。报名者中有不少来自专业艺术院校，如纽约电影学院、伦敦电影学院、芝加哥艺术学院、北京电影学院、中央戏剧学院、上海温哥华电影学院、青岛电影学院、山东传媒大学等；部分则毕业于香港中文大学、香港浸会大学、澳门科技大学、暨南大学、华南农业大学、上海大学、英国金斯顿大学、英国中央兰开夏大学、美国天普大学、美国南加州大学、美国加利福尼亚大学洛杉矶分校等院校的电影相关专业。其中不乏硕士和博士。

值得一提的是，报名“山海计划”的青年创作者中，近半数曾在海内外的国际电影节入围或获奖，包括北京国际电影节、上海国际电影节、戛纳国际电影节、莫斯科国际电影节、东京国际电影节、圣塞巴斯蒂安国际电影节、曼哈顿电影节、亚洲大学生电影节、澳门国际电影节、卡塞尔纪录片电影节、中国金鸡百花电影节、FIRST青年电影展、平遥国际电影展、丝绸之路国际电影节、北京⼤学⽣电影节、广州大学生电影节等。这些参赛者的加入，令“山海计划”主题短片创作赛道高手云集、竞争激烈。

据活动组委会介绍，本届主题短片创作周期为6月至8月，涵盖剧本写作和研讨、短片拍摄和后期制作。短片完成终审验收后，将参与今年9月举行的“山海计划”短片展映季。羊城晚报将携手大湾区及海外合作伙伴，为青年导演打造放映和交流的全球巡回舞台，助力青年导演在作品的海内外传播中收获自己的“第一批观众”。同时，海外短片展映季将通过华侨华人题材短片作品的放映和交流，深度链接海内外华人社群和个人，推动岭南文化走向五洲四海。

文｜羊城晚报全媒体记者 李丽
翻译｜陈萱
责编｜王瑜瑛