The cast of South Korean movie Hope Photo: IC

On Thursday night two well-respected film industry veterans from China's most famous art universities sat down at the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing to share their thoughts on what Chinese movies can learn from the South Korean film industry. 

During the seminar, Fan Xiaoqing, an associate professor from the theater and film academy of Communication University of China, and Shi Wenxue, a Beijing-based film critic and a graduate of the Beijing Film Academy, noted how South Korean films have thrived in their home market.  

"Does anyone know which country likes to watch movies the most?" Fan asked. While many in the audience answered "the US," "China," and "India," Fan noted that these were all incorrect. 

"It is South Korea," Fan said, pointing out that South Korean moviegoers watch an average of four movies per year, while the average in China is less than one. 

"Why is that? What can we do to improve the film industry in the future?" Fan asked. 

Focus on humanity 

The three noted that a dedication to intellectual and human focused films is one of the South Korean industry's greatest strengths. 

Fan pointed out that many filmmakers in the country took humanities courses at university, which gave them the tools they needed to sharply observe people and society.  

However, in China, few film directors have such an education background and lack a foundation in the humanities. As such, they are seldom able to produce influential movies because they lack the ability to touch audiences' hearts. 

"Famed film directors in South Korea also cherish their time, energy and growth a lot. I remember many years ago, I helped a Chinese film investor invite Lee Joon-ik to make a commercial movie. They offered him a lot of money and a big budget, but Lee refused. He told me he was too focused on a small passion project, which turned out later to be the well-received movie Hope," Fan said. 

Hope was based on the true story of an 8-year-old girl who was raped and beaten by a drunk 57-year-old man in a public toilet. The man was only sentenced to 12 years in prison,which incited nationwide anger at the South Korean court system. Released on October 2, 2013, the film increased in popularity through word of mouth, eventually earning more than $15 million at the box office. 

Secret to success

"Interesting, meaningful and moving are the three key elements for a successful movie, and this is something South Korean films achieve. They learned high-tech skills from Hollywood movies, and most importantly, they know how to express people's inner voices by putting some touching elements into their movies, such as showing the scars left behind by World War II to the South Korean people," Fan said

"Silenced is the perfect example of a movie that shows the power of South Korean film because it changed the law in the country. Will this happen in China? Is it a good thing? We do not know, but we need to think about what the role of film is in China," Shi said. 

The film Silenced tells the true story of young deaf students who were the victims of repeated sexual assaults by faculty members over a period of five years in the early 2000s. The film sparked public outcry over lenient court rulings, prompting police to reopen the case and lawmakers to introduce bills for the human rights of the vulnerable. 

When asked about the future of Chinese film, Fan acknowledged that while there are still breakthroughs that need to be made when it comes to films about social realities, "We also need to stick to our strengths, which are kung fu movies and Chinese sci-fi films like The Wandering Earth, because they will keep promoting the industry in the global film market," said Fan.
Newspaper headline: Turning inward