Luc Besson (second from right), Caleb Landry Jones (second from left), Virginie Besson-Silla (left) have a face-to-face communication with members of Shanghai-based Teng Jing Shu Film Club after the Chinese premiere of Dogman on December 10, 2023 in Shanghai. Photo: Feng Yu/GT

Chinese fans of Luc Besson were overwhelmingly excited when they had the opportunity to meet in person the prestigious French director and his team in Shanghai on Sunday when Dogman was premiered in the city. 

The thriller film is about Douglas (Doug) starring Caleb Landry Jones, a tormented young man who was abused by his father as a child and who found salvation through the love of his dogs. 

Besson, Jones, the producer Virginie Besson-Silla talked with members of Shanghai-based Teng Jing Shu Film Club after the premiere of the 114-minute film in Shanghai Film City, with topics covering the inspiration for the film and whether the Bessons and Jones are introverts or extroverts, among others. An enthusiastic fan even presented a DIY Chinese "God of Fortune" to the producer, wishing the movie a good box office in the Chinese market, as the film will be officially released on December 15.  

"I watched the movie during the Pingyao Film Festival, I was deeply moved by it and I'm still moved by it today as I watched it for a second time. I'm honored to have the director, the producer and the male lead here, sharing with us about pain, love, courage and hope," Teng Jing Shu, the founder of the film club told the audience.

"I couldn't believe the news that a father put his son (Doug) in a dog cage for four years, because I'm a father and I can't understand it. But my question was what happened to this kid when he turned 15, 20, 25 years old. How he escaped, how he grew up and what he became, that's the movie," Besson responded to Teng Jing Shu's question about the inspiration of the film.

One fan said that "Big Blue impacted our whole life and I'd like to salute Luc."

"I came to China 20 years ago and I've always felt a lot of respect and love from you guys and this makes me feel very appreciated," Besson's reply got warm applause from the audience.

A man takes a picture at Shanghai Film City prior to the Chinese premiere of Dogman on December 10, 2023 in Shanghai. Photo: Feng Yu/GT

One man in the film industry asked Besson how to choose the subject matter of a film, including the entry point for a project.

Besson compared it to a love story, "You met someone and that's it. You love this person and you think about this person and you want to see this person. A movie is the same. Sometimes you have a story in your head, but after a week, it disappears. And there are some stories which grow in your mind and you can't take them out as was the case with Dogman. 

"I started to write a little bit, then I got involved and I had to make a film. It was like I have to. It's very organic I can't explain, but I must do this film.

"The first and most important person in the loop is your producer. If you have the support right away of your producer saying yeah, we must do this, it's better," Besson said.

"The hero in the Dogman Doug lived in seclusion and rarely interacted with people, but his dogs were very social. Personality classification can be divided between I (ntrovert man) and E (xtrovert dogs). I would like to ask the leading actor and director here what your character attributes are," another fan asked.

Jones described himself as an introvert in life as "I don't think I have left the house for a month and a half."

Producer Silla used the word introvert four times to define her husband Besson. "But when it comes to movies, he is an extrovert."

"I think both of us (Jones and I) are calm as little ants, and then when it comes to war, we are like dragons. But as long as we are not shooting a film, we are very calm," Besson responded.

Group photo of the event. Photo: Courtesy of Teng Jing Shu Film Club

In response to one audience member asking whether the character of the drag queen in this film is to cater to that minority group, Besson replied that Doug met the actress when he was 12. He realized that when he plays somebody, he can be somebody else, which is very important for him because he doesn't know and he doesn't like so much who he is. "Being somebody else, being a prince, a tree, singer, for him, is a moment of happiness. It doesn't matter what he plays. The film is not so much about cross dressing, it's about the capacity for him to be somebody else, he being just happy to be somebody else."

"One of the things I love so much about Luc is that the work he does is very distinctive. When people try to satisfy too many people, we lose something. It's very important for an artist to listen to themselves," Jones responded.

"Every movie is like a child, and everybody is different, like a 25-year-old woman in Shanghai and a 60-year-old man in Germany won't think the same thing. The movie is like a painting. I'm not here to guide you, you take what you want. Our goal is that at least you watch the painting. If you watch the painting, the painting will give you something. It's really up to you, there are a lot of messages in the movie, maybe you see some of them, you don't see the other ones, you take the one you like, the one you need. It's better this way."

A man presented some gifts he prepared for the three guests. To Virginie Besson-Silla, he gave an illustration of "Chinese God of Fortune," saying he sincerely hoped the film has a good box office in the Chinese market.

"I really hope that you will help us because as you know, we're not Disney, we're not Warners Bros, we are coming from Europe, we need your support, we count on you to recommend the film in China," Besson told the audience.