On October 31, the 2023 Maritime Guangdong Young Director Support Program (Maritime Guangdong Program), organized by Yangcheng Evening News Group, held the opening ceremony of the film festival in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. At the ceremony, guests from the Malaysian film industry, academics, media, and Chinese associations in Malaysia gathered together to enjoy this cultural exchange event between China and Malaysia with the young directors of the program. From October 31 until November 2, ten short films in Lingnan dialects supported by the 2023 Maritime Guangdong Program witnessed their world premieres in Kuala Lumpur.
The 2023 "Maritime Guangdong Film Festival”kicked off in Kuala Lumpur
Short films in Lingnan dialects tell stories of hometown to the world
This summer, a group of young Chinese directors did something "big" together – they led 10 crews to complete 10 short films that focus on Lingnan culture and overseas Chinese stories. The 11 directors were all selected by the 2023 Maritime Guangdong Program, with an average age of 26 years old, and the youngest of them was only 20 years old. Shooting in Hong Kong, Guangzhou, Jiangmen, Zhanjiang, Qingyuan, Shantou, Chaozhou, Meizhou and Southeast Asia, they focus on the inheritance and protection of traditional culture, the connection and interaction between their hometown and the world, and explore the life of overseas Chinese with their films.
Leaders of the Chinese associations in Malaysia attended the opening ceremony of "Maritime Guangdong Film Festival".
The guests presided over the opening ceremony of the "Maritime Guangdong Film Festival"
At the opening ceremony of the 2023 Maritime Guangdong Program Film Festival, the young directors of the Maritime Guangdong Program stood on the overseas stage for the first time to introduce their works to the Malaysian audience.
Young directors from Maritime Guangdong Program made their international debut on the stage
"I'm from Chaoshan, which boasts a lot of hidden cultural treasures. Since my undergraduate, I have tried to tell stories from the perspective of young people by combining Chaoshan folk customs and intangible cultural heritage," said young director Canjie Zhuang in his speech, "I once made a wish that if I could become a director one day, I must tell the story of my hometown to more people. Today, my dream has come true." His short film, "The Returning Island", will be screened for the first time at Warong Old China in Kuala Lumpurm, along with other nine short films supported by the 2023 Maritime Guangdong Program. This film featuring the rich cultural characteristics of Mazu in Chaoshan will meet its first overseas audience.
"From these works, the first thing I feel is the love and confidence of young directors for Chinese culture," said Chen Gongming, the curator of the 2023 Maritime Guangdong Program and the head of the KwanTeo, " Their films suggest that the stories of themselves and their hometowns are worth sharing, which is valuable. "
" The share and influence of Chinese films in the Malaysian film market is significant and cannot be ignored." Chanson Wang, Director of the Centre for ASEAN and Chinese Screen Studies (CACSS) of Xiamen University Malaysia (XMUM) revealed in his keynote speech at the opening ceremony that Chinese films such as "A Guilty Conscience","The Wandering Earth II" and"No More Bets" have recently hit phenomenal high box office in Malaysia. He encouraged young Chinese directors to continue their efforts to help Chinese stories go global.
Dialects express nostalgia: Cultural communication reveals the development of China
Du Chuangui, the President of Yangcheng Evening News Group
The year 2023 marks the 10th anniversary of the establishment of a comprehensive strategic partnership between China and Malaysia, and in 2024, China and Malaysia will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations."Guangdong and Malaysia are geographically close to each other," said Du Chuangui, the President of Yangcheng Evening News Group. He said at the opening ceremony that one of the important reason that the 2023 Maritime Guangdong Program chose Kuala Lumpur as its premiere spot lay in the continuous historical and cultural ties between China and Malaysia.
Several Lingnan dialects include Cantonese, Teochew dialect, and Leizhou dialect appear in the short films. Many Malaysian Chinese were deeply moved by the dialects and nostalgia after watching the trailers of the 10 short films of the 2023 Maritime Guangdong Program. "My ancestral home is Shantou, Chenghai," Mr. Lim Keh Kuan, President of the Federation of Teochew Association Malaysia, told reporters, "I am very excited to hear the familiar Chaoshan dialect in the movie." Dato’ Seri ANG LAI HEE.JP, Secretary-General of the Malaysia-China Public Relations Association, said, "I am the fourth generation of overseas Chinese in Malaysia, and we are concerned about the prosperity of China just like our ancestors. Because only when our motherland develops we the overseas Chinese can feel proud."
Mr. Kuik Cheng Kang, Chief Editor of the Malaysia branch of Media Chinese International and Sin Chew Daily
Mr. Kuik Cheng Kang, Chief Editor of the Malaysia branch of Media Chinese International and Sin Chew Daily, told reporters that most Malaysians are multilingual, including many Chinese dialects, "Many Malaysian Chinese are from Guangdong, and I believe they will be deeply moved by these short films with local accents." He also said that as a media group, Yangcheng Evening News should be proud of encouraging young people to publicize Chinese culture and the local conditions and customs of their hometown. “This is a very proud thing.”
Joanne Goh, Founder and President of the Malaysia International Film Festival
"Film is a powerful medium that has the ability to break down cultural and geographical boundaries." Joanne Goh, Founder and President of the Malaysia International Film Festival, hopes that there will be more events like the Maritime Guangdong Film Festival in Kuala Lumpur in the future to further promote cultural and artistic exchanges and cooperation between China and Malaysia.
Guests from Malaysia and China thumb up for the 2023 Maritime Guangdong Film Festival
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