Everlasting BJIFF Media Catalogue Recommendation: Caring for the Society, and Exposing Scams
he “Everlasting BJIFF” presents the third film media catalogue—Tainted Love by director Ma Yingxin. The film is opening in theaters on September 15.
It’s worth noticing that the Tainted Love is presented by the Wishart Culture Media, the company of Zhu Weijie (final-round jury member of the 12th BJIFF Project Pitches), and produced by Dun He from Torun Movie, a first-round jury member of the 13th BJIFF Project Pitches. Given such intertwined relations with the BJIFF, the “Everlasting BJIFF” introduces the premiere of the Tainted Love, enabling young filmmakers to have a meet-and-greet with the cast & crew, learn about experience in the release of a young director’s debut film, how he manages to stand out among so many young filmmakers, and how it feels like cooperating with famous actresses and actors as a young director.
Meanwhile, following suit of the two media catalogue, the third edition is made up of film critics in various fields so as to ensure high-quality and in-depth critics, and provide film fans with an objective and precise profiling.
Tainted Love premiere media catalogue
Inspired by real “pig-butchering” news, the Tainted Love tells the story of Zhou Ran (played by Zhou Dongyu), a victim of the “pig-butchering” scam, going to a small town in Fujian and looking for the perpetrator. She runs into Lin Zhiguang (played by Zhang Yu) and Xu Zhao (played by Zhang Youhao), and gradually discovers that they are somehow related to her being scammed.
Still of the Tainted Love
In 2017, This Is Not What I Expected starring Zhou Dongyu became the opening film of the 7th BJIFF and had its global premiere in the Beijing Film Panorama. In 2019, Zhou Dongyu was appointed as the promoter of Chinese films for the 9th BJIFF Beijing Film Panorama, and cheered for Chinese films. This year, she served as jury member of the BJIFF Tiantan Award.
Zhou Dongyu, 13th BJIFF Tiantan Award Jury
Zhang Yu and Zhang Youhao are also related to the BJIFF. The Inglorious Dogs starring Zhang Yu won the Most Investment Value Project Award at the 9th BJIFF Project Pitches while On Your Mark starring Zhang Youhao was shortlisted in the Beijing International Sports Film Week under the 12th BJIFF Beijing Film Panorama. This year, Zhang Youhao attended the Red Carpet for the Opening Ceremony of the 13th BJIFF together with the cast & crew of The Great War.
Cast & crew of The Great War at the Red Carpet for the Opening Ceremony of the 13th BJIFF
In addition, Li Meng, who delivered stunning performance in the film, once worked as the jury member of the ReelFocus Program. She also starred in the One Minute My Life, the countdown short film for the opening of the 12th BJIFF. And the Summer Arouse starring her and Zhang Songwen won the Team with Greatest Potential Award at the 9th BJIFF Project Pitches.
One Minute My Life, countdown short film for the opening of the 12th BJIFF》
It has always been one of top of the agenda of the BJIFF to promote exchanges and development of young filmmakers. And the BJIFF Project Pitches has become the prime choice for many young filmmakers to realize their filmmaking dream, and stride towards a bigger stage. Three young directors that participated in previous BJIFF Project Pitches attended the premiere to share their viewing and filmmaking experience with the cast & crew.
Da Fei, director of The Invisible Murderer, finalist of the 13th BJIFF Project Pitches, expressed his admiration for Zhou Dongyu and Zhang Yu, and the great sense of immersion the film creates.
Da Fei, director of The Invisible Murderer
Xia Meng, director of It’s Going to Snow at Night, told the real story of her friend’s being scammed, and asked the director a question regarding script changes. Ma Yingxin explained that he has two principles to stick to in the production process: first, face-to-face exchanges with victims; second, reproduction of the entire scam as it is.
Xia Meng, director of It’s Going to Snow at Night
Tang Yan, director of The Glass Menagerie, finalist of the 12th BJIFF Project Pitches, talked about how the film portrays victims from the female perspective, and breaks free from traditional character portrait.
Tang Yan, director of The Glass Menagerie
Over the past 13 years, the BJIFF has been paying attention to films with realistic subject matter, and encouraging creators to deliver humanist values through their literary and artistic works and make their works timely relevant and relatable to the audience.
Adapted based on real cases, the Tainted Love focus on the love scam, a subcategory of the telecom and online fraud, and reproduce the overseas cartel behind “pig-butchering” scams as it is. Hopefully, the audience will draw on lessons of the film, and keep themselves clear of money and love fraud in real life.
Premiere of the Tainted Love
In future, we hope that more outstanding films with realistic subject matter will participate in the BJIFF and meet with the audience, keep track of this era through films, lead us to face up to the dilemmas and problems in reality, and deliver positive and upbeat energy and courage.
The BJIFF never ends. Let’s feel the pulse of the society through films.