Welcoming interface

A rising Chinese filmmaker underscores the balance between technology and art, Xu Fan reports.

China's rising director Guo Fan's best-known work is the country's all-time highest-grossing sci-fi movie, The Wandering Earth, an epic based on a book by celebrated author Liu Cixin.

Guo's latest film, Jin Gang Chuan, which is set during the Korean War, is co-helmed with directors Guan Hu and Lu Yang.

Guo looked like an elite businessman in a black suit, white shirt and black tie while addressing a forum on 5G's impact on cinema during the 10th Beijing International Film Festival in late August.

"Can you picture a near-future scene about cinema?" a journalist asked during a sideline interview at the forum. Pondering the question for a bit, Guo depicted a scenario that sounded like the Keanu Reeves' blockbuster franchise The Matrix.

"I hope it happens in the future that we can connect our brains directly to a wireless network when the brain-computer interface technology is more developed," Guo said.

"The audience will not need to go to a cinema, but can 'see' a movie theater in their minds. I hope such a technology will enable the audience to remotely communicate with their friends and share views on a film through the brain," he says, adding that he hopes it comes true in about 15 years.

While such a scene is still remote for today's filmmakers, Guo has made an effort to pursue a more practical goal－to establish an effective system to further the development of China's film industry.

China's film industry has expanded rapidly in the past eight years－having the most number of screens in the world and becoming the second-largest movie market. Nevertheless, the lack of standardization in production is considered a major obstacle in catching up with the world's top players.