It can be said that Chinese-French director and writer Dai Sijie was one of the most influential figures on Chinese literature and cinema in particular, and Asian and the world in general in the early days of the 21st century. The 2nd Da Nang Asian Film Festival (DANAFF II) will have the honor of welcoming him as Chairman of the Jury for the Asian Film In-competition Category.
Dai Sijie was born in 1954 in Fujian, China with science professors for parents. As such, from a young age, he cultivated the capability to expand his knowledge in a vast number of fields.
In 1984, he went to France on a scholarship to study at the Institut des hautes études cinématographiques – France’s oldest film school, where he discovered his passion for cinema. It was the premise for his first film China My Sorrow, set during the Cultural Revolution in 1966, which was directed and edited by his truly.
Both his later works Le mangeur de lune (1994) and Tang le Onzieme (1998) received high praises. In particular, the film Tang le Onzieme was set in Vietnam and was revered by the Variety magazine for his particular visual sense.
However, the pinnacle of Dai Sijie’s directorial career is the film Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress, released in 2002 and adapted from his very own novel of the same name. Published in 2000 and translated into 32 languages, the novel became a best-seller and won 5 French literary awards, including the 2000 La Rochefoucauld award and the Roman d’évasion award.
The 2002 film starred Zhou Xun, Liu Ye and Chen Kun, and was set during the Cultural Revolution in China, in the primeval and charming Phoenix Mountains. It narrates the story about two young intellectuals – young men sent from the city to the countryside to receive self-reformation. There they met the “Chinese seamstress” and tasted their youthful years with all levels of passion, romance and fierceness.
Dai Sijie once shared that when the film premiered, it received mixed opinions; many domestic critics deeming it impossible for a peasant girl with no education to adapt to Western values so quickly, while others pointed out it was the power of art that force-opens the door to the world of imagination despite all circumstances.
Be that as it may, Balzac and the Chinese Seamstress was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best film in 2003, and was rated on par with another masterpiece, Hero by director Zhang Yimou.
Both the film and the original novel portrayed a collision between Eastern and Western cultural currents, while at the same time are the depiction of a grim era, a period of youthful infatuation, a cocktail of tragedy, comedy and reality. The Guardian commented that Balzac and the little Chinese seamstress possesses a fascinating story and acting that is humane, a sympathetic yet gentle and romantic flair, amidst a dark period of Chinese history.
In 2006, Dai Sijie made the film Les filles du botaniste with numerous scenes filmed in Vietnam, particularly in Hanoi, Ninh Binh (Tam Coc, Bich Dong), Sa Pa. He found Vietnam’s nature very stunning.
With his significant contributions, in 2022, Dai Sijie was awarded the Chevalier de L’ordre Des Arts Et Des Lettres by the French Ministry of Culture.
In the coming months, as Chairman of Jury for the Asian In-competition Film Category, director and writer Dai Sijie will most certainly bring his insightful perspective, and together with other professional judges, select works worthy of ascending to the most prestigious award at DANAFF II.
Below are some nominations and awards director and writer Dai Sijie received during his career:
*Films:
Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress:
– Nominated for the Un Certain Regard Award at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival
– Nominated for Best Film at the 2002 Chicago International Film Festival
– Nominated for the Golden Tulip Award at the 2003 Istanbul Film Festival
– 2003 Golden Globe nomination for Best Foreign Language Film
– Best foreign film selected by the National Committee of Film Critics, New York
– Nominated for best Asian film at the 2004 Hong Kong Film Awards
China My Sorrow:
– Special Mention Award and Golden Leopard nomination at Locarno International Film Festival
– Jean Vigo Award
Les filles du botaniste:
– Most popular Canadian film at the Montreal World Film Festival
*Literature:
– La Rochefoucauld Prize 2000 and Roman d’évasion Prize for Balzac and the Chinese Seamstress
– Femina Award 2003 for the Le Complexe de Di (Di’s Complex)
