In the golden days of October, the "2024 Maritime Guangdong Young Director Support Program" (hereinafter referred to as the Maritime Guangdong Program) kicks off its 2024 Film Festival, with the first event to be held in Sapporo, Japan, on October 14th.

Coinciding with the 19th Sapporo International Short Film Festival (SSF), the Maritime Guangdong Program will present three Lingnan-themed short films to international audiences, while also hosting a series of panel discussions to foster cross-cultural dialogues through cinema.

This event is organized by Yangcheng Evening News Group, supported by the Sapporo Film Commission (SFC), with academic backing from the Graduate School of Humanities and Human Sciences at Hokkaido University . KOO-KI Co., Ltd. and Tsukimansha Holdings Co., Ltd. are co-sponsors of the event.

Three Lingnan stories set to premiere in Hokkaido

The Hokkaido event of the Screening Season will feature three Lingnan-themed short films produced by the Yangcheng Evening News Group, all created with the support of the Maritime Guangdong Program. These films weave together the personal experiences of overseas Chinese and the broader global historical narrative, blending reality, memory, and imagination into scenes in the movies.

Directed by a new generation of filmmakers from the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, the three films were produced in 2023 under the Maritime Guangdong Program, which provided funding for their creation. Among them, "How Can I Rid My Mind of Her" directed by Wenli Huang , was filmed in northern Guangdong's Qingyuan and recounts the experiences of Vietnamese Chinese returnees. Hong Kong-based director Su chak Long 's "Migratory Bird" brings to life the stories of three generations, filmed in Hong Kong. Lastly, "The River That Holds My Hand," directed by Jianhang Chen , captures a shared sense of nostalgia with scenes shot in Chaozhou, Guangdong, and Ho Chi Minh City , Vietnam. These films, presented in Cantonese and Chaozhou dialects, showcase the enduring linguistic legacy of the Lingnan region, which has been carried across the globe by Chinese communities.

Notably, "How Can I Rid My Mind of Her" has already been shortlisted for the 19th SSF, which will take place in mid-October, with an official screening scheduled during the event. The film made its world premiere in April this year at the Moscow International Film Festival. 

The Hokkaido event marks the second international screening hosted by the Maritime Guangdong Program. In October last year, the program made its overseas debut in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, where the short films garnered significant attention from Malaysian filmmakers, overseas Chinese youth, and Chinese international students alike.

Fostering cross-cultural exchange through films

During the event, young directors from the Maritime Guangdong Program will interact with the audience and participate in discussions with representatives from Japan's film industry and academia.

One of the special guests for the discussions is acclaimed Japanese director Rina Naganuma , whose works rooted in her hometown of Sapporo have received multiple international awards. She is currently working on various international film projects, including collaborations with teams from Macao, China. Ryo Kata , a renowned film scholar and critic from Hokkaido University, will also join the panel to discuss topics such as trends in the Asian film industry and mutual nourishment between the film industry and cross-cultural communication.

The event is strongly supported by the SFC. Representative Yuna Haga from the SFC will also attend to share the city's experience in promoting cross-border film exchange and the internationalization of its film industry, as well as to introduce film support policies available to Chinese filmmakers.

Cui Peng, a Chinese youth filmmaker and film researcher from Hokkaido, along with Li Mange, a journalism graduate student from Hokkaido University, will serve as the hosts for the discussions.

The Maritime Guangdong Film Festival in Hokkaido will be open to guests and attendees of the SSF. The event is free to the public and no reservation is required.

Source : Lingnan on the Cloud

山海计划相约北海道，展现岭南影像新锐力量

金秋十月，“向山海走去”青年导演创作扶持计划（以下简称山海计划）拉开2024年度山海展映季的序幕，首站活动将于10月14日在日本札幌举行。

时值第19届札幌国际短片电影节举办，山海计划将为海外观众特别放映三部岭南故事短片，并举办一系列沙龙对谈活动，以电影之力促进跨文化交流。

本次活动由羊城晚报报业集团主办，札幌电影委员会支持，北海道大学大学院文学研究院提供学术支持，电影空气株式会社、月满社株式会社协办。

三部岭南故事短片将亮相北海道

山海展映季北海道活动将放映三部由羊城晚报报业集团出品、山海计划扶持创作的岭南故事短片。在三部短片中，海内外华人的个体经历与全球历史交织在一起，真实、记忆与想象汇聚成真正的电影时刻。

三部短片均由粤港澳大湾区新生代导演执导，他们于2023年入选山海计划并获得创作扶持金用于拍摄短片。其中，由黄文礼执导的《海水泡的茶是什么味道》，在粤北清远取景拍摄，讲述越南归侨往事。来自香港的青年导演苏泽朗将家中三代人的故事化为《家庭旅行》，影片在香港拍摄。《The River That Holds My Hand》则在粤东的潮州和越南的胡志明市取景，青年导演陈坚杭试图用镜头在两地捕捉同一缕乡愁。三部影片以粤语或潮汕话拍摄，这些岭南方言曾随华人华侨去往世界各地，代代传承。

值得一提的是，《海水泡的茶是什么味道》已入围10月中旬举办的第19届札幌国际短片电影节，将在电影节上进行正式放映。今年4月，该片还曾在莫斯科国际电影节进行世界首映。

山海展映季北海道活动是山海计划第二次在海外举办放映活动。去年10月，山海展映季吉隆坡活动在马来西亚举行，山海计划短片首次与国际观众见面，吸引了众多马来西亚电影人、华裔青年以及中国留学生等前往观影和交流。

以电影之力促进跨文化交流

本次活动中，山海计划青年导演将和现场观众进行映后互动，并与日本电影界和学界的代表对谈。

近年在世界各电影节展屡获肯定的日本导演长沼里奈是对谈嘉宾之一，她曾以家乡札幌为原点，拍摄了多部国际获奖作品，如今正与包括中国澳门在内的国际团队展开各种电影项目合作。来自北海道大学文学部文学研究院的坚田谅，是日本著名的电影学者和电影评论家，这次他将围绕亚洲电影产业与创作观察、电影和跨文化交流的互哺等话题展开探讨。

活动获得札幌电影委员会的大力支持。札幌电影委员会代表芳贺优菜也将来到现场，分享札幌市推动电影跨国交流和电影市场国际化的实践和经验，并面向中国创作者推介札幌的电影扶持政策。

北海道华人青年导演、电影研究者崔鹏，以及日本北海道大学新闻学硕士李曼葛，将担任本次对谈的主持人。

时值第19届札幌国际短片电影节举办，山海展映季北海道活动将面向电影节嘉宾和观众开放交流，活动无需预约，免费入场。

文｜羊城晚报记者 李丽

翻译 | 赵凡

英文审校 | 王枥焓