http://www.shanghaidaily.com/sp/article/2007/200703/20070327/article_310398.htm

Tales of the City

By Yao Minji 2007-3-27

Shanghai is no longer home to scintillating cinema, but it is home to some interesting documentary filmmaking. Here are three takes: an artsy diary of a girl's summer, free legal aid for injured construction workers, and the city's hip-hoppers, writes Yao Minji.

Shanghai's documentary film scene is varied and distinctive. While it may not be vibrant and it certainly is not well-funded, a few determined filmmakers carry on valiantly to convey artistic messages - even if they have to pay from their own pockets.Though Shanghai is no longer the Hollywood of the East, it does have its documentary filmmakers with their personal styles, methods and theories. They face the common problem of documentary makers throughout China - lack of funding.The heart of the problem is that Chinese viewers are not accustomed to the documentary style - they want entertainment. Some documentaries meet that standard of good storytelling, but most don't.
"It is too easy to blame everything on the lack of a system (to nurture talent and distribute films). But in fact, the distribution system has to be powered by the audiences - and audiences are not accustomed to watching documentaries," says Zheng Qiong.Zheng is president of Beijing Channel Zero Media, considered the main professional documentary film distributor in China and the last refuge for documentary filmmakers short of funding.
Here are three examples of noteworthy documentarians and their works. One work is financed out of their pockets; another is financed by foreign institutions; the third is funded by Shanghai Television Station's Documentary Channel.

The Independent Take
Shu Haolun, a film professor at Shanghai University and an independent filmmaker, went to the opposite end of the spectrum for his film, "Nostalgia."
The documentary about vanishing shikumen (stone-gated) buildings and their residents was done in a personal style, with Shu himself often in the frames, emotive background music from the 1980s when he lived in the area and even a few re-enacted scenes from his childhood.
In fact, Shu calls it "a personal essay film" rather than "a classic textbook-defined documentary," like those he studied when obtaining a master's degree in fine arts from Southern Illinois University in the United States.
The film was widely successful among both local and foreign audiences and filmmakers. "Nostalgia" won the Reel China 2006 Best Documentary Award and Shu considers it a very Chinese film.
"It is not a stereotypical Chinese story looking for an international market," notes Shu, who funded it from his own pocket. "Certainly, film is an international language, but after all, it is culture-related and there is always something lost in translation."
His idea for a master's degree film project was dismissed as not reflecting American culture. That motivated Shu to return to China to make films. His first project in 2001 dealt with a subject more attractive to foreign producers and audiences - workers' struggles.
"Struggle" depicts a Shenzhen lawyer who provides free legal services and shelter for construction workers permanently injured on the job. The lawyer himself was once a construction worker and understood their suffering. The film was more in line with the classic documentary.
Taking advantage of his language and study in America, Shu applied to various institutions for funding and managed to obtain financing from the Jan Vrijman Fund of the Netherlands and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation. "Struggle" was honored at many international film festivals and aired in Europe.
Given his experience in getting foreign funds, it is rather strange that Shu funded "Nostalgia" out of his own pocket. Shu explains that "Nostalgia" was just so special for him that he decided to start without outside funds because the process is time-consuming.
He agrees it's extremely difficult for independent filmmakers to get funding, especially for documentaries.
"Not many Chinese people or companies would even invest in fiction films, not to mention documentaries," says Shu. "Plus, there is no organizational funding for documentary films here."
And at least in the near future, he still considers overseas funding as his main support.
"Nostalgia" has been shown only within museums and colleges in China and film festivals overseas. Now, Shu plans to release it on DVD.