Initiated and hosted by the Yangcheng Evening News Group, "Maritime Guangdong Young Director Support Program" ("the Maritime Guangdong Program") has successfully held two sessions. Recently, the top ten young directors and projects of the 2025 Maritime Guangdong Program were announced, with many of the young directors' works showcasing distinct international characteristics.

Directed by Hua Hui, "Daughter of the Soil" is the only work in the 2025 Maritime Guangdong Program to be filmed overseas. The film focuses on Sona, a Cambodian bride who wants to return home due to family changes after giving birth in Guangzhou. Through a farewell letter intended for her child and the coconut groves in her dream, the film explores the homesickness and structural difficulties faced by contemporary women.

The cultural contrast between Guangzhou and Phnom Penh also enriched the film's narrative space. Hua Hui explained, "Guangzhou has the Pearl River, restored historical buildings, and coconut trees for urban viewing. Phnom Penh has the Mekong River, restored historical buildings, and coconut trees for sustaining people's livelihoods... This contrast reflects the clash of identities in cross-border marriages."

With the short film "Rambling Accents" shot in New York, Huang Zhiying was shortlisted for the 2025 FIRST Pioneer. After her trip to Xining, she will immediately begin work on her new film "Off Route" for the Maritime Guangdong Program. It's a story about May, a cross-border driver between Shenzhen and Hong Kong, and A-Ling, a bird conservationist, who accidentally swap maps. Guided by birds, they play, wander, and drift along multiple boundaries.

Graduated from New York University with a degree in film and television program, Huang explained that the inspiration for the film came from a walk she took with her friends on the streets of New York. It tells the story of three girls who speak different languages chatting and chasing each other through the night in New York. "New York is a complex cultural melting pot. We keep our native languages while communicating in English, but there are inevitably hidden feelings in between."

At the proposal meeting of the 2025 Maritime Guangdong Program, Baer Xiao who has lived in France for many years, gave a rare presentation in Chinese on his project "Unwitnessed", "In 2019, while working with a Chinese drama crew in France, I unexpectedly reunited with a childhood friend I hadn't seen in nearly twenty years. This chance encounter became the original emotional seed of "Unwitnessed"...

The changes in his working environment have provided Baer Xiao with considerable experience. "When filming in Europe, you have to meet the expectations of mainstream film festivals; when filming in China, you can tell stories more freely, even if they don't meet so-called 'international standards'," he said.

Graduated from Central Saint Martins in the UK, Zhang Shengjia will present an investigative documentary titled "A Haunted Folk Fortress" in the 2025 Maritime Guangdong Program. By exploring the urban legends behind this peculiar building, the film highlights the tension of private architectural practices and the cultural flow between Shenzhen and Hong Kong cultures amid societal changes.

His time studying in Europe broadened Zhang's horizons. He incorporated the creative concepts he had accumulated overseas in recent years into his new work "A Haunted Folk Fortress". "The new work involves elements such as urban legends, private architectural incidents, doomsday shelters and psychological trauma. Even if the audience comes from different backgrounds, it is not difficult to understand. However, it also includes content related to Hakka culture and folk culture."

山海计划青年导演的国际特质：讲述本土故事，连接世界观众

由羊城晚报报业集团发起主办的“向山海走去”青年导演创作扶持计划（以下简称“山海计划”）已成功举办两届。近日，2025山海计划十强名单正式揭晓，多位青年导演的作品展现出鲜明的国际化特质。

华惠执导的《椰林空地》是本届山海计划唯一赴海外拍摄的作品。影片聚焦柬埔寨新娘索娜在广州产子后因家庭变故欲返乡的心路历程，通过一封欲留给孩子的告别信和梦境中的椰林，探讨当代女性的乡愁与结构性困境。

此外，广州和金边的文化比较也为作品带来了表达空间，华惠说：“广州有珠江、翻新的历史建筑、用以城市观赏的椰子树；金边有湄公河、翻新的历史建筑、用以维持人民生计的椰子树……这种对比将呈现跨国婚姻中的身份碰撞。”

凭借在纽约拍摄的短片《散步的口音》，黄芷莹入围了今年FIRST先锋创作单元。结束西宁之旅后，她将立即投入山海计划新片《迷上鸟》的创作——深港跨境司机May和鸟类保育员阿玲意外对调了地图；在鸟的引导下，两人在各种意义的边界上游戏、游荡、游魂。

黄芷莹毕业于纽约大学电影电视专业，她介绍，该片灵感源于自己与朋友在纽约街头的漫步，讲述三个说不同语言的女孩，在纽约的夜里聊天、追逐：“纽约是个复杂的文化熔炉，我们保留母语的同时，会用英语交流，但期间必然会隐藏感受。”

在2025山海计划提案会上，旅法多年的肖巴尔难得用中文阐述项目《无人知晓》：“2019年，在法国参与国内剧组拍摄期间，我意外重逢了阔别近二十年的儿时玩伴。这次偶遇成为《无人知晓》最原始的情感种⼦……”

工作环境的变化，为肖巴尔积累了足够经验。他说：“在欧洲拍电影，你得拍得符合主流电影节的要求；在中国拍电影，你可以更加自由地讲故事，即便它不符合所谓‘国际标准’。”

张胜佳毕业于英国中央圣马丁艺术学院，在2025山海计划，他将带来一部与深圳龙岗怪楼有关的调查式纪录片《龙岗怪楼》，通过探索怪楼背后的都市传说，呈现私人建筑实践的张力与时代变迁下的深港文化流动。

欧洲留学的时光，为张胜佳带来了开阔视野。他把最近几年在海外积累的创作理念运用到新作《龙岗怪楼》之中：“新作里有都市传说、私人建筑事件、末日避难所、心理创伤等元素，即便观众背景不同，也不难理解。但其中也包含客家文化、民间文化等内容。”

文 | 记者 龚卫锋
海报、图 | 受访者提供
翻译丨盛嘉
审校丨林佳岱