French film devotee wins prestigious award
Print Edition
WANG Fang, associate professor and director of the Institute of World Film at Shanghai Normal University, has been devoting herself to preserving and promoting the diversity of cinema.
Recently her years of efforts and achievements — particularly in French film studies and cultural exchanges — won her the title of Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters, one of the highest cultural honors France offers.
Wang is one of few Chinese scholars to receive this honor. To date, other Chinese members of the order include world-famous architect I.M. Pei, martial arts novelist Louis Cha (Jin Yong), Nobel Prize-winning author Mo Yan, actress Zhang Ziyi and filmmakers Chen Kaige, Jiang Wen and Jia Zhangke.
The French government honor, established in 1957 by the country’s Ministry of Culture, recognizes significant contributions to the arts and literature by French people and foreigners.
In recent years, Wang has organized many French film screenings, public lectures and seminars on film, theater and art with the Consulate General of France in Shanghai and the French Cultural Center.
One of her credits is SH 7ème Art, a French film workshop initiated in 2010. As the project’s chief curator, she and her team present a series of retrospective French film screenings and exchanges throughout the year.
Notable French filmmakers, including Agnès Varda, Agnès Jaoui and Claire Denis, have shared with local film enthusiasts their expertise and cinematography art at the master classes.
Many film celebrities also have been on their first visits to China.
“France is the birthplace of cinema, so the screenings were very successful,” Wang says. “The theater was full and many people had to stand to watch the movies. I feel very excited and fulfilled to introduce top-notch French film artists to Shanghai, where the theater screens are still replete with commercial Hollywood productions.”
The success of the public events has sparked Wang’s enthusiasm and passion for film diversity. She was disappointed to find acclaimed works like the Iranian movie “A Separation” removed from the screening schedule of local cinemas after just two days because of poor performance at the box office.
“Commercial movies should not be all that a cinema offers,” Wang says. “We also have a responsibility in art education. Our children should develop a wider vision of culture. Commercial films, more like a product rather than an artwork, entertain people but they can’t give much inspiration.”
Wang hopes that the local government can provide more financial support for art-house cinemas and directors. She also says protection for a film’s intellectual property, from script to screen, is vital for a sustainable development of the industry.
Wang would also like to see domestic film schools launch a specific major of film production as a way to spark creativity. She compares a film producer to a midwife who gives birth to a movie.
“China still lacks good and experienced producers who really love and understand cinema,” she says. “Economic return is one of the criteria but it should not be put in the first place. We always need a balance.”
The most alluring part of French culture, in her opinion, is great tolerance.
“Some people think that French people are proud and arrogant, but it is not true,” Wang says. “In my eyes, French people love reading and respect culture. They have a thirst for knowledge and appreciate cultures and arts from all over the world with an equal and open perspective.”
She adds that many artists such as Vincent Willem van Gogh, Pablo Picasso and Milan Kundera, though not French nationals, achieved their highest achievements in France.
In addition to her academic studies and exchanges, Wang is also a film selector for the annual Shanghai International Film Festival and expert adviser to the Shanghai Film Archive.
Starting in April, Wang and several other professionals spent about two months watching and grading movies from all over the world. Their work largely decides which movies to be shown during the Shanghai film festival. She is also engaged in organizing international film forums and workshops for the fest.
Through Sunday, Wang is organizing the 2014 Le Plus Court, a wintertime screening of more than 30 French short films at the Shanghai Film Art Center (160 Xinhua Road). These movies cover a wide range of genres of animation, drama and comedy.
She is also considering hosting special film screenings in January in memory of Henri Langlois, a French film archivist and cinephile.
Langlois was famous for his efforts in film preservation in the post-war era. Most of the movies to be shown were selected from his collections, such as François Truffaut’s “Baisers Volés” and Jean-Luc Godard’s “A Bout de Souffle.”
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