‘Green Wave' Helmer Xu Lei Talks Chinese Film Funding And Directing His Father In The Comedy-Drama
Drawing laughter from the crowd of more than 1,200 people at the film's international premiere in the Teatro Nuovo Giovanni, Xu tells Deadline that he did not intend to write a comedy at first, but humor gradually found its way into the story.
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'At the beginning, it wasn't meant to be a comedy, it was just meant to be a family drama about the father and son,' says Xu. 'However, as the story evolved during the production, it gradually turned into a comedy. As a filmmaker, I always appreciate the opportunity to grow in making your own movie. You find out more about yourself while making a film.'
Xu adds that it will be far more challenging to fund a film like Green Wave in China today, compared to the domestic funding landscape a few years ago.
'When I started the project and looked for investors two to three years ago, it was a good time in China's movie market. But if I had to make this movie now, I would probably not have the same outcome,' says Xu. 'It's because fighting for audiences to take the time to go inside the cinema is even more competitive now, compared to three years ago. Now they have TikTok, streaming and games. In order to lure the audiences to go inside the theater, it's not as easy as before, so investors hesitate before they give the money to make a movie.'
Xu says that he has completed the screenplay for his next film, titled The Peacemaker, and is currently putting together funding for the film. The Peacemaker is set in a rural village and revolves around a person who assumes the role of a local 'godfather' for the village, helping to arbitrate for the villagers, and settling their struggles and disputes.
Xu previously directed Summer Detective (2019) and co-directed Hutong Cowboy with veteran filmmaker Ning Hao.
Green Wave revolves around Wei Fei, a screenwriter who lives in Beijing. His recently-widowed father, Lao Wei, who lives further away in a village, finds a seemingly antique porcelain bowl while his ancestral home is being demolished. Father and son live under the same roof again, as Lao Wei arrives in Beijing to have the bowl evaluated by experts, in the hopes of making a windfall.
Xu cast his real-life father, Xu Chaoying, in the role of Lao Wei — marking the second time that his father has appeared in his films. 'When writing the script, I did not initially intend to cast my father. But through the casting process, I looked around and felt like my father would be very believable and convincing in this role, so I ended up choosing him.' It seems like a move that has paid off, with the elder Xu picking up the Best Actor prize at the Pingyao fest.
Elaborating on what it was like to direct his father, Xu said: 'This is the second time working with my father, so the easiest part is that I know his capacity, how much he can perform and what he can do.'
Xu said that he spent some time working with refining the accents of the actors in the film, including Wang Chuanjun (who plays the son) to match the accents of the onscreen duo, as Wang is not from the same province as Xu's family.
The inspiration behind the film's plot came from a friend's story.
'I have a friend who has a disability, and his father is an antique collector. All his life, he wants to find something authentic that will make him super rich, so that he can secure financial independence for his son,' says Xu. 'My friend and I both knew that his father's collection is all fake — none of them are real antiques, but he appreciates the affection and thought behind what the father is trying to do, which is real and genuine.'
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