Vivian Qu

Vivian Qu (Chinese: 文晏; Wen Yan) is a Chinese film director, screenwriter and producer who directed the award-winning 2013 film Trap Street. She also produced Night Train, released in 2007, Knitting, in 2008 and Black Coal, Thin Ice in 2014, which won that year's Golden Bear Award at the Berlin International Film Festival.[1]

Vivian Qu
Born
Beijing, China
OccupationFilm producer, screenwriter, film director,
AwardsJury Grand Prize
2013 Trap Street
Boston International Film Festival
Dragons and Tigers Award
— Special Mention
2013 Trap Street
Vancouver International Film Festival
Chinese name
Chinese文晏

In 2017, her second directing feature Angels Wear White was entered into the main competition section of the 74th Venice International Film Festival[2] and later won her a Golden Horse Award for Best Director in Taiwan.[3]

Early life and education

Qu was born and brought up in Beijing, China. She went to the United States in the 1990s[1] and studied art history and fine arts in New York City.[4] She says that the subject of cinema combined all her interests, in "writing, photography, music... together in one art form".[1]

Life and career

In 2003, Qu returned to Beijing,[1] in order to become a film producer, and to pursue her interest in helping independent filmmakers. She says that she became aware that whilst filmmakers in China have good ideas and scripts, they lack the resources to produce or market their films for an international audience.[5] In 2007, she began producing films in collaboration with Chinese film director Diao Yi'Nan, and first produced Night Train, the story of a young, widowed prison guard who takes a night train to a dating service, as she feels lonely and isolated. The film was screened at the Cannes Film Festival.[4] The following year, she produced the film Knitting, a romantic drama told from a female perspective and based on the Chinese myth of the cowherd and the weaver girl, as told in the Qixi Festival. In 2013, she produced Longing for the Rain, the story of a woman living in a loveless marriage until a man appears in her dreams, and with whom she finds she cannot live without.[6]

As Qu was working creatively with film directors in her role as film producer, she also decided to try to direct. Her debut feature as director, Trap Street, made in 2013, tells the story of a young digital map-maker who finds his computerised maps have been mysteriously altered after he becomes infatuated with a young woman working for China's intelligence service, in a street which does not officially exist. Qu says that the film reflects a changing reality in modern China, in which people have started to notice "little things that are happening", such as "the Internet and text messages being censored all the time", with social media services such as Facebook routinely inaccessible. She also says that people are detained by the authorities for apparently minor infractions, such as keying in particular words on search engines. However, she says that, despite such perceptions, for most of the younger generation in China, who did not live through such periods as the Cultural Revolution, "this is something completely new", and that they don't understand why it is happening. She says that, for her, "this [trend] is very disturbing... but we're not taking it seriously".[5]

Filmography

As Scriptwriter

As director

As producer

Awards[8]
YEAR AWARD CATEGORY NOMINATED WORK RESULT
2013 Vancouver International Film Festival Dragons & Tigers Trap Street Won
2013 Independent Film Festival Boston Jury Grand Prix Trap Street Won
2013 70th Venice International Film Festival Luigi De Lawrence Trap Street Nominated
2013 70th Venice International Film Festival Surprise movie of "Critic's Week Unit" Trap Street Nominated
2017 74th Venice International Film Festival Golden Lion Angels Wear White Nominated
2017 61st BFI London Film Festival Main Competition Angels Wear White Nominated
2017 1st Pingyao Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon International Film Festival Fei Mu Honorable Best Film Angels Wear White Won
2017 54th Golden Horse Awards Best Director Angels Wear White Won
2017 54th Golden Horse Awards Best Film Drama Angels Wear White Nominated
2017 54th Antalya Kumquat International Film Festival Best Film Angels Wear White Won
2018 12th Asian Film Awards Best Film Angels Wear White Nominated
2018 12th Asian Film Awards Best New Director Angels Wear White Nominated
2018 The 2nd Malaysia International Film Festival Best Screenplay Angels Wear White Won
2018 The 2nd Malaysia International Film Festival Best Director Angels Wear White Won
2018 9th China Film Directors' Guild Director of the Year Angels Wear White Won[9]
2018 9th China Film Directors' Guild Film of the Year Angels Wear White Nominated
2018 9th China Film Directors' Guild Screenplay of the Year Angels Wear White Nominated
2018 25th Beijing College Student Film Festival Grand Jury Prize Angels Wear White Won
2018 25th Beijing College Student Film Festival Best Director Angels Wear White Nominated

Character Evaluation
  1. She is a gentle and determined female filmmaker with a clear and steady character. She has a clear attitude, bold creation, and never has a clear plan. Words such as harshness, violentness, bad temper, low pressure, etc. used to describe the director are not suitable for her. In her speech, she can see her strict attitude towards the film works. She is a person with a clear purpose and not easily persuaded (Nanfang Metropolis Daily).[7]
  2. Vivian Qu always shoots literary and artistic films and does not pay attention to the domestic film commercial market. (IFENG).[10]
gollark: …
gollark: I mean, some birds have tool use, primates have complex social hierarchies too, and tons of animals have mirror test self awareness.
gollark: Not THAT much more than other primates.
gollark: Humans are a subset of animals. Thus, apioform you.
gollark: An animal, I mean.

References
  1. Xin Zhou (28 March 2014). "ND/NF Interview: Vivian Qu". FilmComment.com. Retrieved 23 February 2016.
  2. "Venice Competition Includes Films From George Clooney, Guillermo del Toro, Darren Aronofsky". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 27 July 2017.
  3. "GOLDEN HORSE: China's Vivian Qu grabs best director award". Central News Agency. Retrieved 25 November 2017.
  4. "Vivian Qu". Festival International des Cinemas d'Asie. 2015. Retrieved 23 February 2016.
  5. Andrew Heskins (16 October 2013). "Who's watching who? An interview with Vivian Qu". EasternKicks.com. Retrieved 23 February 2016.
  6. "Longing for the Rain". ChineseShadows.com. Retrieved 23 February 2016.
  7. Nanfang Metropolis Daily (09/11/17). "华语片没得奖又如何？文晏：我是"崩溃型导演"". Nanfang Metropolis Daily. Check date values in: |date= (help)
  8. Baidu Baike. "Wen Yan". Baidu Baike.
  9. Chinese Film Report (04/22/18). "9th China Film Directors' Guild". CCTV. Check date values in: |date= (help)
  10. Qin, Wan (09/09/17). "文晏：女性焦虑各个阶层都有，《嘉年华》已过审". IFENG. Check date values in: |date= (help)
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