Chinese filmmaker Lu Chuan is feeling the pressure of deteriorating U.S.-China relations on his newest undertaking, a cross-border custody drama titled “You Are My Daughter” primarily based on the real-life case of Anna Mae He, a Chinese woman whose custody battle between her organic mother and father and white foster mother and father lasted seven years.
“In the beginning, that project goes very smoothly, but all of a sudden, you know, there’s a lot of conflicts between these two countries,” Lu Chuan tells Variety in the course of the Cannes Film Festival, the place he was selling his wildlife documentary in regards to the Tibetan Plateau. “You need all the connection between the two film industries, and cooperation. The situation is really hard now.”
The director of acclaimed movies together with “Mountain Patrol” (2004), “City of Life and Death” (2009), and “The Missing Gun” (2002), Lu Chuan has accomplished the script for “You Are My Daughter,” which follows two Chinese worldwide college students who’ve a child within the U.S. however change into embroiled in an eight-year lawsuit. The movie is predicated on the e-book “Go Home” by Luo Qin, the mom who lived via the actual custody battle.
“There’s a lawsuit between the Chinese family and the local American family. They’re fighting for the baby,” Lu Chuan explains. “I think there’s a lot of misunderstanding between people from two nations. We need to have more communication, more cultural exchange. The movies are the best way to help people understand each other.”
Despite the challenges, Lu Chuan stays dedicated to “You Are My Daughter” and is searching for an English-language author to collaborate on a global model. He’s even turned to AI know-how as a place to begin, utilizing Grok and ChatGPT to create a primary draft English adaptation.
Beyond “You Are My Daughter,” Lu Chuan is growing “Puffer Fish Girl,” against the law drama that marks a return to his character-driven roots harking back to “Mountain Patrol.”
“It’s not a big sci-fi movie. It’s not an action movie,” he says of the undertaking, which explores the connection between a middle-aged man and a lady. “I’m trying to explore human nature and the relationship between man and woman.”
The filmmaker can be working on a global model of his 2023 sci-fi movie “Bureau 749,” with plans to make it “more character driven” for international audiences after receiving suggestions from worldwide pals via non-public screenings.
“Sometimes it’s really hard for [international audiences] to understand a Chinese story,” Lu Chuan acknowledges. “I spent quite a long time to digest all the notes. I think most of them are fabulous, so I think it’s very necessary for me to polish the content.” The movie is being bought by All Rights Entertainment.
Lu Chuan has additionally directed the iQIYI collection “A Life For a Life,” tailored by Xiong Yuzhen from the novel by Shi Yifeng. The 1992-set collection follows two mechanical repairmen detained on theft expenses who change into prime suspects in a grotesque dismemberment case at a equipment manufacturing unit in Tiandu City. The story spans 20 years as survivors work to clear one suspect’s title and uncover the actual offender.
At Cannes, Lu Chuan was screening “Qinghai-Tibet Plateau Wildlife Park,” his wildlife documentary about scientists working to guard animals within the Tibetan Plateau’s Xining Wildlife Zoo – a two-year ardour undertaking that aligns together with his environmental pursuits.
Looking forward, the director reveals his want to discover new genres, significantly horror movies and street films. He cites “Misery” and Stanley Kubrick’s “The Shining” as inspirations, noting that “Puffer Fish Girl” incorporates horror components.
Lu Chuan can be growing a street film script a couple of couple touring to the girl’s hometown for a marriage ceremony, however the lady has misplaced her reminiscence. The psychological thriller follows a health care provider attempting to assist her recuperate her previous, solely to uncover disturbing secrets and techniques.
When requested about his filmmaking philosophy, Lu Chuan affords a surprisingly existential response rooted in childhood fears about mortality. “I should say the fear of death,” he says. “When I was maybe 13 or 14 years old, one day at midnight, I suddenly realized all people will die. I was so scared. The curiosity about the truth of life and death – this kind of thought is maybe the true motivation for me to explore in the journey of movies.”
This philosophical method has guided his selection of tasks, with Lu Chuan deciding on tales he can personally relate to, together with “Bureau 749,” which was impressed by his son’s want to fly away from educational pressures.
“Unfortunately, most kids, the wings in their heart have been cut off when they grow up,” Lu Chuan displays. “They become very practical, very realistic, thinking about money, living, food, and payment. I’m trying to encourage myself to still have the freedom to fly freely.”
