The international dissemination of opera films has a mature way of playing, and then what?
According to the public information on the Internet, we can sort out a set of basic data on the dissemination of opera films in international film festivals: From 2015 to 2021, a total of 11 opera films were shown at international film festivals in different parts of the world and with different attributes, of which 7 This film won awards and honors specially set up by the organizers for opera films and artists. These film festivals cover Los Angeles and Canada in North America, Venice and San Sebastian in Europe, Kyoto and Tokyo in Japan, etc. It also covers different types of communication channels: either independent unit display or packaged to participate in government promotion or trying to enter commercial theater circulation, forming a series of overseas communication methods for opera films on the international film festival platform.
In January 2015, at the 6th International 3D Advanced Imaging Association Annual Awards Ceremony held in Los Angeles, the United States, the 3D panoramic sound Peking Opera film "Farewell My Concubine" won the "Golden Lumiere Award", which is a technical award.
In November 2016, it was still Los Angeles, the United States. At another award ceremony - the 12th China-US Film Festival, the "Golden Angel Award/Best Drama Film Award" was awarded to the 3D panoramic sound Peking Opera film "Xiao Heyue Chasing Han Xin" , which is an artistic award.
Three years later, in 2019, the same award was given to the Peking Opera film "Zhenguan Event", which was also selected as one of the top ten films of the 15th China-US Film Festival. The organizing committee also specially awarded the "Lifetime Achievement Award" to Mr. Shang Changrong.
In 2021, the "Golden Angel Award" will be the 8K Peking Opera movie "Catch and Release Cao".
From the perspective of film classification, the dissemination platform of opera films in Los Angeles is a Chinese-language film festival, which is a specialized film festival; in essence, the influence of the creators in China is radiated overseas.
In Japan, it also clearly shows the characteristics of communication with the "Tokyo International Film Festival · Chinese Film Week" as the center.
Since the festival was established in 2016, 4 opera films have won the highest honor "Golden Crane Award" or "Art Contribution Award".
The award-winning attributes of this competition honor are similar to those of the Chinese-American Film Festival's opera unit competition.
So how should we view this kind of communication strategy that is outside the elite evaluation system of international comprehensive film festivals?
I think it should be affirmed.
The viewing of opera films has barriers to acceptance, and it is obviously incommensurable with other film types.
Opera films are a unique type of film in China. They are deeply involved in international film competitions. It is difficult to find horizontal competition units and to integrate into the mainstream discourse system of international film festivals.
In the final analysis, these phenomena are determined by the unique value of opera, and the underlying artistic laws are at work.
After a hundred years of development, opera film has long been not only a tool carrier for recording and disseminating opera art on the stage, but also a nationalized film type with a unique style.
Its unique product attributes in the world film culture have a certain degree of comparability with Indian Bollywood musicals.
Therefore, a special film festival exhibition based on Chinese culture as the main theme of the festival, the establishment of an independent opera film competition unit and a parallel China Film Week outside the main exhibition of the film festival. This is a pragmatic way to develop international communication channels based on the uniqueness of Chinese culture.
The dissemination of opera films in European film festivals is different from the dissemination characteristics of North America and Japan with Los Angeles and Tokyo as the centers, and there is no obvious driving center.
Not only are the film festivals covered in scattered locations, but the attributes of these film festival platforms are not mainly Chinese-language specialized film festivals, but have become comprehensive international film festivals.
In September 2019, at the 76th Venice International Film Festival in Italy, one of the three major film festivals in the world, a 2019 China (Guangdong) Film Italy Exchange Conference and Guangdong Film sponsored by the Propaganda Department of the Guangdong Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China and the Guangdong Provincial Film Bureau The promotion meeting was held here, in which the 4K panoramic sound Cantonese opera film "The Legend of the White Snake: Love" participated in the promotion and screening.
This is a play of the guest country of honor in the discourse system of the international film festival. It is a relatively shallow communication path, and the main audience is non-professional: Chinese groups living overseas?
Although the number is small, foreign enthusiasts who can expand the influence of Chinese culture?
Maybe both.
Usually, the audience for such events depends on the number of organizers.
In September 2019, an independent unit was set up at the San Sebastian International Film Festival in Spain - "Chinese Opera Film Festival". In the thematic unit endorsed, the participating films include the Peking Opera film "Cao Cao and Yang Xiu", the Yue Opera film "The Story of the West Chamber" and "The Legend of the White Snake", the Shanghai Opera film "The Woman Picking the Mountain", and the Kunqu Opera film "Jingyang Bell".
From the perspective of brand endorsement, the specifications of this screening unit are the highest.
At the level of the discourse power of international film art, it represents a deeper evaluation discourse of the international film festival system, and further acceptance and integration of the genre of opera films.
In 2019, before the epidemic, there was a landmark case of communication, a cultural communication with the attributes of export commodities - opera movies were shown in theaters, and commercial tickets were sold.
In November 2019, the 3D panoramic sound Peking Opera films "Zhenguan Grand Event" and "Cao Cao and Yang Xiu" were screened commercially for the first time in major cities such as Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya and other major cities in Japan. Many Japanese citizens bought tickets to watch the news. , the box office is hot.
So what about after the outbreak?
With all kinds of international film festivals on hold one after another, is there any new way to spread Chinese opera internationally?
In November 2021, a Peking Opera variety reality show "Peking Opera Trainee" was launched on youtube, facebook, twitter and CGTN for live broadcast. This is a mini reality show, which is a video record of foreign youth Nadim learning Peking Opera art at the National Peking Opera Company. .
In the same year, on Twich, the leading online game live broadcast platform in Europe and the United States, a "Yuan Shen" dubbed and sung by the young actor Yang Yang of the Shanghai Peking Opera Theater became a hit. The Chinese charm of the game's protagonist Yun Jin attracted countless young gamers to become Chinese traditional culture. fans, enthusiastically spread the opera culture.
These two new media Peking Opera communication cases based on variety shows and online games herald a new trend in the future: opera elements carry the Internet culture of young people, making the age group of Peking Opera dissemination targets significantly sink.
Wang Xiaoxin