Meet the Up-and-Coming Director Duo Who Marry Chinese Narratives With Western Craft

At first glance, this year could be viewed in many ways as unexceptional, yet the first thing that struck us from conducting these interviews for The Year From Every Angle is that by and large 2018 was a year of progress.

The positivity and hope displayed among these seemingly disparate endeavors, including art, activism, mental health, and even the leisure pursuits have arisen from communities quietly coalescing around a number of shared and strengthening goals and beliefs. Though some of those objectives fell afoul of the authorities, advancements over the last 12 months have laid a solid groundwork for what looks to be a fine year ahead.

Before we gaze forward, however, it’s time to read back on Beijing’s 2018 from (nearly) every angle. 

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Names: Matthew Zhao and Jinwei Zeng

Title: Director Duo
2018 in 5 words: Growth, Accumulation, Search, Surprise, Rebirth

Not only did 2018 bear witness to the historic moment when the domestic box office overtook North America’s for the first time ever, therefore officially topping the global film market, but it also saw the release of a range of high-quality Chinese productions. Most notably among those was Dying to Survive, the Wen Muye-directed Chinese blockbuster that achieved enough critical acclaim both at home and abroad to have a direct influence on Chinese pharmaceutical reform.

Beijing director duo Matthew Zhao and Jinwei Zeng dub the film, a true story about a drug peddler who makes a fortune selling cheap Indian pharmaceuticals to Chinese patients, as “a smart and entertaining combination of Chinese social commentary and a Hollywood genre film.” They add that its production company, Bad Monkeys (Huai Houzi), an incubator project fostering feature debuts from budding directors, is likely to act as the industry’s torchbearer in the years ahead. All of which could be a boon for up-and-comers like themselves.

Having studied film at NYU and received awards for their short films abroad, Zhao and Zeng are currently in post-production for their first feature, Mo Nv, an adaptation from a popular Korean comic IP that is eyeing a 2019 theatrical release. The young directors are modest in their goals, stating that they are still learning, and excited about new possibilities that are opening up. They believe exposure to a different culture has provided them with new perspectives to understanding their experience as Chinese, and has helped them form their own cinematic language: “Growing up here has given us Eastern sensitivities, while we learned a linear narrative structure at American film school.”

One important influence on the duo has been Jin Yong, the recently deceased and hugely popular wuxia novelist. Zhao credits him with creating a universe that transcends Chinese geographical and ideological barriers. The director duo lament the author’s passing, adding that his work is especially inspiring in today’s climate and also acts as a guide for many of China’s young directors who are striving to make “narratives that are influenced by Western cinematic tactics in structure, but secure at their Chinese core.”

Photo: Uni You