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The Cultural Frontline: After Hu Bo

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After Hu Bo

10/04/2021 GMT

BBC World Service - The Cultural Frontline, After Hu Bo

What is next for the Chinese film industry after the death of talented director Hu Bo?

The author and film-maker, Hu Bo, was due a dazzling career. He had graduated from the Beijing Film Academy and successfully pitched at the FIRST International Film Festival, where he won the mentorship of Hungarian director Bela Tarr. From there, his first feature film, An Elephant Sitting Still, came into existence with a confidence of vision and honesty of message that is rare to find in more experienced directors. Yet, on the cusp of greatness, Hu Bo tragically killed himself, leaving a gap at the forefront of Chinese creativity. His contemporaries must take up the burning questions facing Chinese artists without him.

This programme asks what it is like to be a film-maker in China today, and explores where certain pressures, expectations, and freedoms can be found. We hear about the making of Hu Bo’s first film from those who knew him. We discover the global audience for Chinese independent film and learn from those who try to bring these films to a wider audience. We discover other artists in China who are reflecting on the same themes as Hu Bo, finding creativity in the everyday. And we ask where next for a film industry that is set to overtake Hollywood at the box office in the near future.

Presenter: Yuan Ren. 
Producer: Leonie Thomas

(Photo: Yuan Ren, with kind permission)

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