China Film Directors Guild (CFDG) launched its Young Directors Support Program in Beijing on Dec. 19 to search for five of the country’s best young filmmakers.
This CFDG program, in cooperation with the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television (SAPPRFT), will make the chosen ones work closely with some of the country’s revered senior filmmakers, reported the Global Times.
SAPPRFT director Zhang Hongsen said that the country has been producing movies for more than a century, and today’s young directors will continue doing so, calling them the “successors of the film industry.”
Zhang said that SAPPRFT has invested 10 million yuan on this project.
CFDG invites all Chinese citizens aged 18-38 who have, at least, directed one movie--a maximum of two--that was already released in the country to apply for the program.
Application period runs until Jan. 20, 2016.
Only 30 applicants will be selected to go through the program. From this group, the organizers will pick the top five participants.
The five chosen directors will each do a movie. Seasoned directors will mentor them all throughout the movie-making process.
The participating directors-mentors will also become executive producers of the films to be made.
CFDG designated film director-writer-actor Feng Xiaogang as project chairman.
Dubbed as the “the Chinese Spielberg” in an article that appeared on Feb. 20, 2014 in New Statesman, an online British magazine, the 57-year-old filmmaker did a last directorial work in 2013 titled “Personal Tailor.” The comedy film earned some $115,520,000 at the box office, according to EntGroup.
Feng’s portrayal of a former crime boss in his 50s in the action flick, “Mr. Six,” which will be released in the country on Dec. 24, earned him the Golden Horse Award for Best Actor at the 52nd Golden Horse Film Awards or the Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival and Awards held on Nov. 21.
Directed by Guan Hu (“Cow,” “The Chef, the Actor, the Scoundrel”) and written by Dong Runnian, “Mr. Six” premiered at the 72nd Venice International Film Festival (Sept. 2-12) in Italy on Sept. 9, at the 40th Toronto International Film Festival (Sept. 10-20) in Canada on Sept. 16, and in the U.S. on Dec. 18, according to the Internet Movie Database (IMDb).
Both Feng and Guan attended the project launch.