As a special event for the 22nd Shanghai International Film Festival Beijing Opera Film Project Film Screening, the appreciation of FAREWELL MY CONCUBINE: THE BEIJING OPERA was held at the New Hengshan Cinema this afternoon. Gong Xueping, head of the Beijing Opera Film Project Leading Group, Hu Jinjun, deputy director of the Propaganda Department of the Shanghai Municipal Party Committee and director of the Shanghai Film Bureau, Teng Junjie, vice chairman of the Shanghai Federation of Literary and Art Circles and national first-class director, Fu Wenxia, director of the Shanghai International Film Festival Center, Shang Changrong, famous Beijing Opera performance artist, Shi Yihong, famous Beijing opera performance artist and other guests attended the event.
Fu Wenxia said in her speech that the Beijing Opera Film Project is an important task listed in the National Key Cultural Projects by the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China. It is the largest film shooting project in the history for Beijing Opera since the founding of the People\'s Republic of China. "Beijing Opera film, as a time-honored Chinese-style film type, reflects the Chinese nation\'s spiritual treasure of patriotism, heroism, inclination to beauty and goodness, and is full of Chinese aesthetics style with creativity, uniqueness, and classic. It is a window to show the excellent traditional culture of the Chinese nation to the world. The Beijing Opera Film combines the traditional art form of the opera with the means of film expression, not only jumping out of the limitations of the stage, but also intuitively retaining the artistic effect of the opera itself, resulting in an effect of one plus one is far greater than two."
Fu Wenxia said that the traditional Chinese opera film has always been an important part of the Shanghai International Film Festival screening unit. This year\'s Shanghai International Film Festival specially launched the Beijing Opera Film Project film series, which featured a total of ten classic works including: FAREWELL MY CONCUBINE, DRAGON AND PHOENIX BRINGING PROSPERITY, ZHUANG YUAN MEI and QIN XIANGLIAN. IN PURSUIT OF THE GENERAL, MU GUIYING COMMAND, XIE YAOHUAN, SACRIFICE, THE MIRROR OF FORTUNE and KAN YU CHUAN. Among them, China\'s first 3D Dolby Atmos Beijing opera film FAREWELL MY CONCUBINE was screened at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles. It also won the 2015 Golden Lumiere Award, DRAGON AND PHOENIX BRINGING PROSPERITY and FAREWELL MY CONCUBINE won the award nomination of 30th China Film Golden Rooster Award. MU GUIYING COMMAND won the 31st China Film Golden Rooster Award for Best Opera Film. "I believe that when traditional operas collide with modern film technology, it will attract more young viewers into the theater to experience Chinese outstanding traditional art classics."
In the ten screenings, IN PURSUIT OF THE GENERAL and FAREWELL MY CONCUBINE are all directed by director Teng Junjie. In 2013, Teng Junjie took on the task of filming FAREWELL MY CONCUBINE with the cultural mission sense of "using film to carry forward Chinese opera." At that time, he set three goals for himself and worked hard for it to this day: "First, today\'s prosperous film market can\'t turn a blind eye to Beijing Opera movies; second, try to use small costs to get good social effects, of which the value is even greater than money; third, make the national quintessence of Beijing Opera become a new business card for the \'Shanghai culture\' going out."
Shang Changrong, the 79-year-old Beijing Opera performance artist who acted the leading role in FAREWELL MY CONCUBINE tastily said that he was a "post-70s". He said in his speech that on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the founding of New China, the screening of the ten Beijing Opera films at Shanghai International Film Festival had far-reaching historical and practical significance. "Two words can describe my feeling now: very grateful. Be grateful to the era, the party and the government, and the people for their support, love and encouragement for Beijing Opera and Chinese opera. I am still a \'post-70s\' and I am very fortunate to be able to take part in the filming."
Shi Yihong also talked about the sense of responsibility of inheriting the national quintessence of Beijing opera. She said that FAREWELL MY CONCUBINE is a masterpiece of the predecessor Mei Lanfang; the later performer may not be able to reach Mr. Mei\'s height all his life. "But we have been trying to learn from him, pay tribute to him, and hope to pass on the outstanding works of art; this is also the responsibility of our generation of Beijing Opera actors."
At the scene of the viewing guide, Gong Xueping, the leader of the Beijing Opera Film Project Leading Group, presented the discs of Beijing Opera Film Project films to the Shanghai International Film Festival.