Chinese cinema turns to low-budget films as blockbusters fail to draw box-office gold
- There are signs that blockbusters featuring A-list directors and stars are losing their power at the Chinese box office
- Chinese audiences are instead flocking to small-budget productions by young up-and-coming directors
The release of Four Springs in cinemas across China earlier this month was a huge win for small players in the Chinese film industry.
Made on a tight budget, the debut feature-lengthfilm from director Lu Qingyi, 45, is a 105-minute documentary about his family life in an obscure village in the southern Chinese province of Guizhou. Before turning to filmmaking in 2015, Lu had a raft of other jobs including working in a mine, playing soccer, and being a bar singer, painter, webpage designer and publishing editor.
Lu spent two years editing the footage. “I spent tens of thousands of yuan to buy a tripod, computer, film books and a video camera to make the film,” he says.
Only around 30 per cent of the 600 films made in China every year get the chance to be released in cinemas because of limited slots available in theatres.
The fact that Lu’s low-budget filmmaking venture could make it to the big screen not only shows his cinematic talents, but also reflects China’s new-found love for quality small-budget productions. (Four Springs was nominated for best editing and best documentary at the 55th Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival and won the best documentary feature-length film award at the 12th First International Film Festival held in Qinghai, China. )