Beijing, January 12 (Reporter Gao Kai) – Focusing on the Chinese family and telling the story of the emotional bonds and reconciliation between three generations of an elderly man and his three daughters, the film "Emerald Lake" is considered to have achieved a new aesthetic exploration of family ethics with its restrained and gentle cinematic language. A seminar for experts on the film was recently held in Beijing.
This seminar was hosted by the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles Film Art Center and the China Film Critics Association, and organized by the Wu Tianming Youth Film Special Fund of the China Film Foundation. More than ten experts and scholars engaged in in-depth discussions on core topics such as the film's narrative techniques, aesthetic expression, character development, and publicity and distribution. The participating experts unanimously agreed that *Emerald Lake* possesses a strong emotional intensity and depth, demonstrating the young creators' profound insight and innovative exploration of Chinese aesthetic traditions and the spirit of the times, and possessing a warm and healing power.
The seminar venue. (Photo provided by the organizer)Deng Guanghui, Party Secretary and Vice Chairman of the China Film Association, believes that in an industry environment that pursues strong conflict, fast pace, and high-concept film narratives, the film, with its "quiet as flowing water" narrative style, artistically presents the new characteristics of the continuous improvement of people's spirit in the process of Chinese modernization.
Rao Shuguang, president of the China Film Critics Association, pointed out that the film "contains powerful dramatic tension beneath its surface of everyday aesthetics," and through the poetic arrangement of long takes and empty shots, it presents the Eastern aesthetic quality of "meaning that is infinite even when words are finite."
Li Daoxin, vice dean of the School of Arts at Peking University, stated that the film continues and innovates upon the tradition of Eastern family ethics films, from "The Mourning of Middle Ages" and "Tokyo Story" to "Eat Drink Man Woman." This "deep reflection" on family values precisely reflects a spiritual orientation of seeking the future from the past.
Zhao Weifang, director of the Film and Television Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Arts, believes that the deep-focus long shots, panning shots, and shot montage in the film construct a realistic real space and time, while direct mirroring and scenery-based mirroring create a rich psychological space and time. The combination of the two shot languages not only demonstrates the localization of Western film techniques, but also successfully expresses Chinese emotions and aesthetic connotations.
Hu Jianli, Secretary-General of the China Film Critics Association, pointed out that the film has a strong sense of real life and a realistic texture. The characters, stories, emotions and details are rich and solid, making the audience feel as if they are watching the lives of their relatives and families, not just watching a movie.
Producer Guan Nan explained that "Emerald Lake" uses Cuihu Lake in Kunming as its geographical coordinate. The entire film was shot in Kunming, and the main creative team all come from Yunnan. With an almost devout localism, they completed a "hometown story" full of personal memories and the imprint of the times. Director Bian Zhuo frankly stated that the creation of "Emerald Lake" stemmed from his long-term observation of the changes in his hometown and family emotions, aiming to record the emotional state and spiritual world of people in the process of urbanization.
It is reported that "Emerald Lake" has won numerous awards, including Best Film in the Asian New Talent Unit at the 27th Shanghai International Film Festival, Best Film and Best Actor at the 12th Silk Road International Film Festival, Audience Favorite Film at the 2025 Wu Tianming Youth Film Festival, and the Asian New Director Award at the 22nd Hong Kong Asian Film Festival. The film will be released in major cinemas nationwide on January 24. (End)
