By CNTV Panview editor team
Editor’s foreword: "Looking China" International Youth Film Project is co-organized by the Academy for International Communication of Chinese Culture (AICCC), Beijing Normal University and Huilin Foundation, which aims to showcase the contrasting simplicity and glamour, the antiquity and fashion of China through unique perspectives of young foreign film makers.
As of year 2016, 101 students from 25 countries were invited to participate in the project. They were stationed in 13 municipality, provinces and autonomous regions here in China. Every filmmaker has worked out a 10-minute short film about Chinese culture around the topic of “ethnic minority”.
From Nov. 30, CNTV Panview is to post the selected and best films of this series. Here is the second prize winner for today.
The film directed by Evan Luchkow, ties in the 300-years history and culture of the Manchus people with today’s northeast China. Much of northeast China has transformed into an industrial zone, but in some remote villages, the ancient Manchus culture continues to thrive.
In a documentary format, Luchkow travels through Changchun, Jilin Province and later to a small remote village on the Songhua River. He interviewed an elderly man who trained eagles and another elderly woman who’s a teacher and hobbyist of Manchu paper-cutting.
The film is most effective, when the narrator stays silent and allows the people interviewed to talk and tell the tale of their lives. However, it falters when the narrator jumps on the screen and talks about himself.
A good documentary is telling the story of a person the camera follows. No need for narration, just let the actions and words of the target person be the voice of the film.
Nevertheless, the film scored a win with good background music, cinematography and detailing insights on the Manchus culture.
( The opinions expressed here do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Panview or CCTV.com. )
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