MCLC: Hu Jie on art, film, and Lin Zhao

[Denton, Kirk]

MCLC LIST
From: Kevin B Lee <kevin at dgeneratefilms.com>
Subject: Hu Jie on art, film, and Lin Zhao
******************************************************

Source: dGenerate Films (8/14/12):
http://dgeneratefilms.com/chinese-cinema-events/hu-jie-blocked-from-attendi
ng-chinese-doc-showcase-in-nepal

This past weekend the Yala Maya Kendra, Patan Dhoka in Kathmandu,
Nepal hosted a showcase of independent Chinese documentaries,
organized by Film Southasia and curated by La Frances Hui of the Asia
Society. Documentary director Hu Jie, who was scheduled to appear to
present his film Searching for Lin Zhao's Soul, was prevented by
authorities from leaving China, according to a note posted by La
Frances Hui on Facebook. She also posted a letter written by Hu Jie
intended to be delivered to the audience attending his screening in
Nepal. The letter is translated into English by Hui and reads as
follows (original Chinese further below):

Thanks for coming to watch my film. Due to some bizarre
circumstances, even though I have tried very hard, I am not able to
come to Nepal, a beautiful and friendly country. I am not able to
participate in this film event. And I am not able to take part in face
to face exchange with you. What a shame! I am not a professional
filmmaker. I was once an air force captain, and I had studied at an
art academy. I could have become a painter because I love painting.
But when I saw human sufferings and the painful past and present, I
kept asking myself: What is art? What is my relationship with art?

Once I acquired a very simple family-style video camera. I began to
use it to film things happening around me. I realized that this was
the artistic medium between me and reality. Later, I used this little
camera to enter a not so distant past. I pushed open a door that had
previously sealed off history. Behind that door are victims’ corpses,
cries and sobs, blood and hidden truths.

I need courage, which I have being a 15-year army veteran. I also have
health. I also need an independent mind. I need to know that where I
live, there was this history. I am an artist. I need to investigate,
document, preserve, and share. Searching for Lin Zhao’s Soul is a
documentary film through which I entered this history for the very
first time.

This is a territory filled with sufferings. But it also propels us to
not give up hope. 55 years ago, [Lin Zhao] experienced the
Anti-Rightist Movement. Intellectuals were persecuted and 550,000 of
them were locked up. 52 years ago, she experienced the Great Leap
Forward, which caused the starvation to death of 36 million people. 46
years ago, she experienced 10 years of Cultural Revolution, a
fanatical god-worshipping campaign. 10 million people were persecuted
to death. 100 million people suffered brutal tortures of body and
soul. But the general public has emerged from humiliation and
bloodshed to reflect on all this. Since the Cultural Revolution,
bleeding and assault continued to occur. But the public’s perspective
is changing, and so is society. The public has persistently tried to
break away from the chains that confine them. All of this has enabled
the birth of documentary film.

Finally, I want to thank everyone for coming. I want to thank the
Nepalese film festival organizer [Film Southasia] for providing us
with this exchange opportunity. I also want to especially thank Ms. La
Frances Hui [film showcase curator]. Because of her recommendation,
this film can be presented to Nepalese audiences. Thank you very much.

Hu Jie August 14, 2012, Nanjing, China


谢谢各位来宾前来观看我的影片！

由于一些很蹊跷的原因，尽管我尽了很大努力，也没有能够踏上尼泊尔这个美丽而友好的
国家，没有能参加这次电影的聚会，没有能和各位来宾面对面相互交流，真是遗
憾！
我不是一个专业的电影人，我曾经是一个空军上尉军官，我读过艺术学院。我原来可能会
是一个画家。因为我热爱画画。但是，当我面对人们的苦难，惨烈的历史和现实的
时候，我在不断地询问：艺术是什么？我和艺术之间的关系又是什么？

后来，我有了一个很简单的家庭摄像机，我用它开始拍摄身边发生的故事，我认为这就是我
和现实之间的艺术形式。再后来，我用这个小小的机器走进离我们生活不远的历
史，推开了那扇封闭的历史大门。

那扇门上有死难者的尸骨、有叫喊和哭泣声、也有鲜血和封条。

是的，这是需要勇气；我曾经是一个有15年军龄的老兵，有健康的身体。

这还需要独立的思考；我要知道，在我们生长的这片大地上，有怎样的历史。我一个艺术
家，我要探索、保存记忆和交流。现在大家看到的这部《寻找林昭的灵魂》的影
片，就是我第一次进入这个历史拍摄的一部纪录片。

这是一个充满苦难的国度。

这也是一个让我们不放弃希望的国度：55年前，她经历了迫害知识分子的反右运动，有55万
知识分子进了集中营。52年前，她经历了饿死3600万人的大跃进。
46年前，她经历了10年文革狂热的造神运动，迫害致死一千万人，一亿人受到精神和肉体的
残酷折磨。但这个国家的民众开始在屈辱与血泊中思考。
文革后，虽然又不停地撞击和流血，但民心在发生着变化，社会发生着变化，人民不断在打
碎枷锁，所有这一切，也使独立的纪录片生长出来了。

最后，我要感谢大家的光临，感谢尼泊尔电影节的主办方给予这个交流的机会。我还要特
别感谢许娜女士，因为她推荐，这部影片才和尼泊尔的观众见面！谢谢！

胡杰
2012年8月14日于中国南京