Independent Filmmaker

In 1990, Xie Lansheng, denied his post-graduation job placement, spent a year in idle obscurity, enduring endless disdain. One drunken night, he declared he wanted to make his own film. The room erupted: "Are you insane?! Only state studios can produce films! This would be an underground movie!" A year later, Xie Lansheng was at his wit’s end with his untrained lead actor: “This role is layered—it needs a professional, the more experienced the better. Someone like Shen Ye…” His crew sighed: “Director Xie, stop dreaming… The first Chinese actor to win the‘Top Three’ festival—why would he join something like this… Besides, this award-winning actor grew up in America, dressed so sharply crowds stop to stare. Our crew needs to stay low-key…” ———— 2019 marks thirty years of Chinese independent cinema. There are those who, despite being utterly vulnerable, persist… under the dual pressures of capital and authority, striving to maintain independent thought and production. They are called independent filmmakers. Character dynamics: A director (bottom) who never utters a harsh word yet never backs down from a challenge × An actor (top) who follows whims and acts purely on “whatever I please.”