The 2019 French Angers Newcomer Film Festival M.U.S.T. venue was held at the Macau University of Science and Technology from 18th to 21st March, 2019, along with the sponsorship from the Macau Foundation, and cooperation with the Consulate General of France in Hong Kong & Macao. The activities of this venue included opening ceremony, film screening, workshops and key expert lecture.
The opening ceremony was held in the N101 on the evening of the 18th. The invited guests included three directors from the French Angers Film Festival: Hubert Charuel, Emmanuel Morice, Nicolas Thomä; William Bascaule, the Director of the Alliance Francaise de Macao; Sa Ng, Culture Manager of Alliance Française and Chiang Siu Ling,The Assistant Dean of the Academy of Film, M.U.S.T. On the site, over 400 teachers and students attended the ceremony.
Opening ceremony officiating guests (from left): William Bascaule, Chiang Siu Ling, Nicolas Thomä, Emmanuel Morice, Sa Ng, Hubert Charuel
The opening film was Bloody Milk by the Director Hubert Charuel. Before the film screening, the director shared his experience about making the film. He said that, in this personalized film, its story generated from the current situation of the French farms, which also happened on the farm of his parents. The film told a story about the struggling life of a 30-year-old dairy farmer, Pierre, who was inevitably trapped in the mud of hardship regardless of all efforts invested. This film conveyed a theme that the positive affection between humans and animals would benefit the long-term development of a peaceful environment in which people and nature coexist in harmony.
A workshop was conducted on the 19th, with the theoretical guidance and the practice of making short films. Students were divided into three groups, participating in shooting and editing five minutes character documentary about a chef or a pottery artist within six hours.
Three directors conduct theoretical guidance
The three directors, Hubert Charuel, Emmanuel Morice and Nicolas Thoma, at first conducted theoretical guidance on documentary narrative and filming techniques for the students based on their role responsibilities in the groups, teaching them how to structure the script of the documentary and how to arrange the technical equipment needed for documentary filming. After completing the theoretical guidance, each of the three directors took a group of students to the university culinary laboratory and the Ceramic Studio for field shooting. They specifically guided the students on the skills of shooting angle and picture composition.
After completing the three-hour shooting workshop, the post-production workshop was followed to comment on the highlights and deficiencies in the students’ shooting. The three directors also proposed practical suggestions and feedback on each group’s work. Although compact, the workshop proved to be a valuable experience for both teachers and students.
Photo of all workshop participants
The last activity of the venue was the film and television lecture delivered on the 21st. After the film screening of The Shadow of the Kitchen by Nicolas Thomä and Emmanuel Moric, the three directors shared the opinions on the topic of “How to make your first feature film”.
At the beginning of 2016, Nicolas Thomä and Emmanuel Moric co-directed an original documentary, The Way of the Kitchen, in the castle of the Loire Valley in France, based on their passion for food, wine and life. The film was shot in only five days and twenty hours, and the editing was completed in less than three hundred hours. Although the creation cycle was short, it was well received by the audience at the closing of the 2017 Angers Europe First Film Festival. When talking about the first directing experience, the two directors said: even if there are not enough resources, you can still do it well. What matters is to seize the moment and to take action as soon as possible.
The three directors share opinions on ‘How to make your first feature film’
Nicolas Thomä responded to the question about the propensity of French film education by saying that French films are different in expression from other countries that pay more attention to the form of films. French films are close to the nature which will not be bounded by a so-called inherent mode. When talking about how filmmakers should liberate themselves to the force of the nature, Hubert Charuel said that nature is innate, but it is hard to be released by the surrounding environment. While performing, the actor can pin the needs down to the scene and experience the natural scenes in real life to achieve the perfect combination of mind and movement.
At the end of the lecture, the three directors indicated that the Chinese film industry is at a stage of rapid development. Due to its unique historical value and cultural ideology, it will be able to create high-quality works that fit in its own characteristics, and will be striding forward and prosperous in the competitive film market.
Through a series of activities, the cooperation between the M.U.S.T. Academy of Film and the French Angers Newcomer Film Festival takes a firm step forward. As for the coming year event, it is hoped that we will continue to work hand in hand to cultivate more talents of film. The 2019 French Angers Newcomer Film Festival M.U.S.T. venue has been closed successfully.
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