On November 29, the star-studded trio of filmmakers set to deliver masterclasses at this year’s Hainan Island International Film Festival (HIIFF) was unveiled. French directors Sophie Marceau and Luc Besson, and Chinese cinematographer and producer Cao Yu will be sharing their filmmaking experiences and wisdom with audiences at the festival.
Sophie Marceau first found the spotlight starring in the 1980 film La Boum and later in Braveheart in 1995 before going on to make a name for herself in her native land as a director and screenwriter. On December 5, she will take part in an in-depth dialogue with two Chinese directors on the theme, "Life and the Silver Screen: Courage in Artistic Expression." Starting with the cultivation of her own artistic perception in her youth and how life's details inspire her creativity through her unique lens as a female director, Marceau will take her audience on a collective journey toward the true meaning of her craft as she and her fellow participants explore the delicate balance between reality and art on the silver screen, the profound conversation between cinema, its audiences, and society, and the art's boundless future prospects.
Cao Yu is a Chinese cinematographer who picked a Golden Horse Award for his work on the 2004 film Kekexili: Mountain Patrol. At a sharing session themed "My World of Light and Shadow" on December 8, he will take a look back at his creative journey, from how he first got into the business, what ignited his passion, and his meditations on his own style to his thoughts on cutting-edge film technologies, life lessons he learned behind the camera, and the industrialization of film in China.
On December 10, veteran French director and winner of the César Award for Best Director Luc Besson will engage with the audience on the topic "On the Trio of Film Production from the Perspective of Screenwriting." During this sharing session, Besson will expose the mysteries of film production as he talks about finding inspiration in screenwriting and maintaining creative momentum, realizing the director's vision and stylistic shaping, and the trade-off between transitioning from the role of a producer to commercial art.