Director Li Yatao (right) works on the set of his microfilm in Jiading, Shanghai. Provided to China Daily

Into the unknown

Microfilms will be coming shortly to a screen near you

The young man from Hainan province went to the liberal arts college at Hainan University but never studied filmmaking.

Despite his lack of formal film education, the 24-year-old is on his way to realizing his dream, and his 10-minute short film Ashamed won the top award at the Nine Minutes Original Film Competition in 2012. This summer he participated in the competition again with a film shot on the old streets of Jiading district, in suburban Shanghai.

Company president Qiu Qi found that many aspiring filmmakers worked on their own in China. Without adequate logistics or professional teamwork, beginners struggle to produce quality work.

"We want to build a fair and efficient platform for talent selection, and provide them with a professional team - to support young directors in the most practical and scientific ways," Qiu said during the filmmaking for the fourth competition in Jiading.

In September, when Yu shot his new project in Nan-xiang town in Jiading, the town helped him to install a temporary electricity line to light up red lanterns along the old street, on the riverfront, and turned off all other lights.

"My film tells a story that happens in Nanxiang, and I wanted to present the authentic landscape, with an emotional touch," Yu says. "The Jiading district has been very supportive of my work."

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