the 3rd SRIFF kicks off in Xi'an
The ancient city of Xi'an is enshrouded in a misty autumn rain. On the night of September 19, the 3rd Silk Road International Film Festival kicked off at Xi'an Radio & TV Grand Theater. This is China's first film festival named after the "Silk Road". Over the next five days, under the theme of "Film in Development, Culture with Diversity", celebrated film practitioners from the countries along the Silk Road and from across the world will gather in Xi'an to probe into the exploring spirit of the "Silk Road" and the development of Chinese films, in a bid to build an artistic presentation, cooperation and trade platform for Chinese and foreign films.
Red carpet more romantic in drizzle
Female stars take spotlight on red carpet
Like all the other film festivals, the red carpet of SRIFF before the opening ceremony was most attractive. Though Xi'an was rainy and a bit cold yesterday, stars and "fans" coming against the rain remained passionate. Red carpet was the session both the audience and stars valued most. Yesterday most male stars appeared on the red carpet in formal suits, and female stars took the spotlight and caught eyes with formal dresses, long skirts and exquisite makeup.
The crew of One Sentence Worth Thousand appeared first. Liu Zhenyun, winner of the Mao Dun Literature Award and his daughter Liu Yulin first signed the background panel. Pregnant Sun Qian playing "Aunt Jinxi", in a black-and-white bubble skirt, was gorgeous in spite of pregnancy. Xue Jianing in a white floor skirt was curvaceous and graceful. When Feng Bai, an actor from Shaanxi, appeared, the fans in his hometown gave the loudest applause. The crew of star-studded A Chinese Dyssey: Part Three caused a sensation upon appearance. Tang Yan playing "Zixia Fairy" was absent with illness, but Han Geng playing "Zhizunbao" still wowed the "fans" coming in spite of the rain. Another actress Hu Jing was elegant in a translucent OL business wear. Huang Hong, a gray-haired popular comedian, appeared with the crew of Snow Dog, bringing the atmosphere to a climax.
New tricks of Shaanxi elements
Take you into a fantastic film night
At 8 PM, the opening gala was staged. The gala opened with "Meet in Xi'an", followed by three chapters-"Invitation from the Silk Road", "Cities in Films" and "Culture Diversity". Shaanxi elements ran through the gala. The opening song & dance show-Meet in Xi'an opened with weird "terra-cotta warriors": gray terra-cotta transformed into "modern people" shuttling in modern cities. Characteristic Huayin Laoqiang broadcasting integrating innovation with fashion was impressive, presenting a fabulous mix beyond description. Heisa, a renowned rock band from Xi'an, interpreted City Variations in a different style. "Shaanxi snacks" mentioned frequently in the song tempted the hosts who appointed to glut themselves with Shaanxi snacks after the gala.
If the Characteristic Broadcasting of Huayin Laoqiang made an Oriental poetic sensation, Light & Shadow Legend fired the memory and passion of the audience. With the history of the Silk Road as clue, the dance ingeniously showcased the Silk Road legend, told a warm story of light and shadow, and interpreted the legend of Silk Road films. The dancers shook their bodies, and each shaped picture was a classic film chip from Xuan Zang, Life of Pi, Chinese Dyssey, Chaplin, etc.
The stage designers of the opening gala strove to give the audience the best viewing experience. The stage was composed of veil, glass screen, background screen and color screen, used "ice screen", a high technology first used in an theatre, integrated modern lighting with 3D technology to create a virtual sense of filmstrip, highlighted the aesthetics of the stage and the charm of films, and presented a fantastic film night going through history, crossing time and space and integrating tradition with modernism.
Special guests unveil nominated films
Five-day film festival kicks off
All films entering SRIFF were from the countries along the Silk Road. 26 out of 676 films from 35 countries and regions such as China, the USA, Italy, Spain and India were shortlisted through three rounds of reviews. 11 international judges said they were honored to be judges and they would select winners of media awards with international credibility and influence impartially from these films.
At the gala, celebrated Chinese and foreign film practitioners such as He Shengming, Caterina Murino and Huang Zheng unveiled the 26 nominated films in three rounds. The host announced a "surprise": apart from "films in development" in 14 screening units, the 20th "Beijing Screenings" will present 40 thought-provoking and artistic Chinese films.
At last, the opening gala ended in the Ninth-nine Bay of the Yellow River sung by three tenors. The five-day film festival kicked off.
