Profile of Xu Chunling (徐春玲):
Xu Chunling, is a screenwriter, director and associate professor. Having taught film and television editing and directing in universities for 14 years, she has gained much experience guiding students to complete a number of award-winning short films. From June 2020 to May 2021, she wrote and directed her first children's film “Birthday Adventure”. The screenplay took two years to complete and she spent meticulous effort in shooting the film, constantly perfecting the details. The director uses rich visuals to tell the story of Lan’s search for her mother, and to express a child’s passion for life. It is not just a journey of family reunion, but it also reflects the anxiety and dilemmas every child and adult might face in their own life, and how one should face them. Intended for children originally,the film has something for people of all ages.
Question: There are several Chinese movies made in recent times about the issue of “Left Behind Children”; rural kids who are separated from their parents when those adults go to China’s huge cities to find work. Why is this a problem and what is being done to resolve these problems?
Answer: When I was writing the script, I also interviewed many left behind children. It has been a long standing issues. From 1980s, with the rapid progress of modernization and urbanization in China, large scale of the surplus labor in rural areas begins to move to the cities. When the farmers are working in the cities, they cannot solve the real problem for sending their children to have schooling in the cities. They have to leave their children behind in the countryside, and ask someone else to take care of them. As a result. Parents and children are separated in two places. A new vulnerable group is formed -- “the left-behind children”. The education of these children need to be taken into account. By analyzing the background of this social phenomena, I propose the following suggestions:
I think developing local economies so that parents don’t have to move away along with a greater connection between schools, parents and children can help alleviate some of these problems. When parents do need to work away from home, I hope the government can provide funds and facilities so the children can accompany their parents.
The issue of left behind children shall be dealt with by the whole society.
Question: Birthday Adventure’s director Xu Chunling has worked as a tutor and professor in Chinese universities for 14 years. Can you tell us some more about your work in education and how it affected your film-making?
A: I am a teacher and a researchers in terms of film-making. My teaching courses include Script Writing, Fundamentals of a Director, Film Review, etc. While I am teaching the theories, I also lead my students to shoot in practice. During my teaching period. I have led my student to finish three independent films. With my instructions, more than 100 short films made by the students have won awards. I have accumulated some theoretical and practical experience. My teaching experience has laid a solid foundation for film making. Although it’s my time to direct a cinema chain feature film, I don’t feel strange to it. Based on the principle of “content is king”, I revised the screenplay several times. I hope I can make a thoughtful and meaningful film.
Question: The screenplay for Birthday Adventure took two years to complete. Were there any particular challenges to writing this film?
Answer: Birthday Adventure is a film about children. My original intention is to make a film for the children. I try my best to make it suitable for both young and old. So, I add the favorite elements of the audience such as comedy, action and suspense. It took me two years to finish it.
There is a saying in the film making trade that “one should never work with either children or animals”. When my work progressed, I found that only screenwriting is difficult but shooting children and animals are challenging as well.
During the shooting process, we met many difficulties in shooting the children and animals. It is just because the children are uncontrollable. The animals like sheep, cows, wolfs and moneys are even more uncontrollable. It’s doubly difficult to come up to the desired artistic effect. If we add the scenes of chasing and fighting, it seams impossible for us to complete. For example, in some situations, wolves are chasing people. Wolves, sheep and people are on the same scene. We had prepared many plans for how to complete shooting by making sure everyone is safe. However, many unexpected things emerged during shooting process. But we made it in the end. It is really a very challenging film-making experience for me.
Question: You took a lot of effort to make this film. Are you working on any other film projects at the moment? What will you be doing in the future?
Answer: I started preparing for a new children film last year. The theme is still about left behind children in the countryside. I plan to adopt all unprofessional actors. I am going to shoot it in this December. I love films. I am the one who enjoys film making. I will go on in film making in the future.
Question: What advice would you give to young directors who are starting out; particularly female directors?
Answer：I’d like share some of my perceptions. A director will pay out all time and energy to make a film. It is a kind of very complex job to complete a film. It takes about several months or even several years. A director will face all kinds of difficulties. So, one needs to have preparations before making a film and shall keep the confidence and courage to go on no matter what kind of difficult will come.
In the trade of directors, it seems hard to be a female director. Female directors are quite few. As one chooses the profession, she must love it. Because of love, she will not give up. We shall believe that holding fast to our dream will bring forth unlimited possibilities.
Interviewed by: David James Bell Editted by: Li Yingdeng
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