Chen Mo and Meiting
Encyclopedia
Chen Mo and Meiting is a 2002 Chinese romantic drama film written and directed by Liu Hao
. It was Liu's directorial debut and stars Du Huanan and Wang Lingbo as the titular Chen Mo and Meiting.
The film was produced independently of the Chinese bureaucracy, primarily from funds solicited by Liu Hao himself, as well as some foreign investment from the Germany based Zero Film.
Chen Mo and Meiting tells the story of a flower vendor and a massage parlor girl, the children of persecuted intellectuals during the Cultural Revolution
, as they enter into a shy and tentative romance.
Given the small budget, the film production was limited with Liu and the crew living in a small basement to save on housing costs. Post-production was funded primarily from Liu and his producers selling calendars on the street, eventually paying off debts over the course of two years.
Though filmed in 16 mm
, the film was blown up to 35 mm
during post-production.
's international Forum program. The film managed to win two awards at the competition: a NETPAC Prize and a Special Mention in the Premiere First Movie award.
The film was also screened at the 2002 Karlovy Vary International Film Festival
as part of its "Another View" program for more experimental works.
As an independent and foreign-financed film, however, Chen Mo and Meiting was not given official approval and as a result was not released in China.
Liu Hao
Liu Hao is a Chinese filmmaker. He first rose to prominence in the early to mid 2000s.-Early life:Born and raised in Shanghai, Liu Hao spent much of his youth watching films by Ren Xudong and Cheng Yin and, as he grew older, the works of the fifth generation directors. In 1995, as his interest in...
. It was Liu's directorial debut and stars Du Huanan and Wang Lingbo as the titular Chen Mo and Meiting.
The film was produced independently of the Chinese bureaucracy, primarily from funds solicited by Liu Hao himself, as well as some foreign investment from the Germany based Zero Film.
Chen Mo and Meiting tells the story of a flower vendor and a massage parlor girl, the children of persecuted intellectuals during the Cultural Revolution
Cultural Revolution
The Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, commonly known as the Cultural Revolution , was a socio-political movement that took place in the People's Republic of China from 1966 through 1976...
, as they enter into a shy and tentative romance.
Production
After writing the screenplay for Chen Mo and Meiting, Liu set out to find the money to finance his project. Eventually Liu was forced to search for benefactors from the phone book, eventually raising ¥140,000 from a friend in Shanghai.Given the small budget, the film production was limited with Liu and the crew living in a small basement to save on housing costs. Post-production was funded primarily from Liu and his producers selling calendars on the street, eventually paying off debts over the course of two years.
Though filmed in 16 mm
16 mm film
16 mm film refers to a popular, economical gauge of film used for motion pictures and non-theatrical film making. 16 mm refers to the width of the film...
, the film was blown up to 35 mm
35 mm film
35 mm film is the film gauge most commonly used for chemical still photography and motion pictures. The name of the gauge refers to the width of the photographic film, which consists of strips 35 millimeters in width...
during post-production.
Release
Chen Mo and Meiting was screened as part of the 2002 Berlin International Film FestivalBerlin International Film Festival
The Berlin International Film Festival , also called the Berlinale, is one of the world's leading film festivals and most reputable media events. It is held in Berlin, Germany. Founded in West Berlin in 1951, the festival has been celebrated annually in February since 1978...
's international Forum program. The film managed to win two awards at the competition: a NETPAC Prize and a Special Mention in the Premiere First Movie award.
The film was also screened at the 2002 Karlovy Vary International Film Festival
Karlovy Vary International Film Festival
The Karlovy Vary International Film Festival is a film festival held annually in July in Karlovy Vary , Czech Republic. The Karlovy Vary Festival gained worldwide recognition over the past years and has become one of Europe's major film events....
as part of its "Another View" program for more experimental works.
As an independent and foreign-financed film, however, Chen Mo and Meiting was not given official approval and as a result was not released in China.
External links
- Chen Mo and Meiting at Cinemasie