FIRST Short Film Project | It Is Life That Has the Power

In 2018, Alipay and Ali Entertainment launched the second “Equal and More ·Young Director Short Film Project”, together with the FIRST Short Film Project and Youku’s “Fire Project”to produce commonweal short films themed “small greatness”. After half a year’s collection, shooting, and production, 8 short films in total were launched in May 2019.

As a crucial part of film production and cultivation system, the FIRST Short Film Project provides practical shooting opportunities for all young filmmakers. It aims to create an environment that can stimulate and temperate young filmmakers in the short film category. It’s training, and an undirected breakthrough of creation-stereotype.

Impact reality with simple and powerful images

This time, the FIRST Short Film Project took “Small Greatness”as a commonweal theme. Based on the observation of social reality and special groups, it seeks the power of change inside the image and stimulates the public responsibility of young filmmakers.

The top-5 short films produced by FIRST depicted the sentient beings of the scavengers, organ donors, and Wenchuan social workers, capturing the gender rights, group dilemmas, and social changes in reality. Young directors used cameras to record the stories and spirits attached to individuals, also reveal their self-deconstruction and attitude towards “small greatness” in their images.

All productions made these real-life essences coming into the public’s sight, thus generated the power to shack the world. As director Yang Pingdao said, “There is no power in the image itself, it is life that has the power.”

The short film production had me graduated again.

Apart from triggering the young director’s concern and reflection on reality, the creator’s professional concept was cultivated in the limited time during the project. The experience and reflection is also valuable in the process.

All filmmakers considered their experience rewarding and fruitful. The new FIRST Short Film Project has come to an end and we have been counting down the return of the annual FIRST Film Festival for months. The 2019 Training Camp has also entered the final stage of recruitment. Finally, there will be 10 young filmmakers opening a new round of creative challenges in Xining, under the leadership of their mentor Mohsen Makhmalbaf, their literature consultant Pema Tseden, and their casting instructor Songwen Zhang.

Click to watch all the short films, and vote for your favorite ones!

https://t.youku.com/yep/page/m/itibfor255o?wh_weex=true&isNeedBaseImage=1