Zhu Liyun
Award-Winning Filmmaker
Best Editing
Editor, Enter the Forbidden City
Jury Citation
The jury found that the editor of Enter the Forbidden City intercuts present and future timelines, which not only uses montage in a fresh way but also makes the narrative tighter and the structure more coherent. With skilful editing, the beauty of opera is presented in a dazzling way, reflecting a deep historical heritage and humanistic feeling.
Enter the Forbidden City: Synopsis
Enter the Forbidden City is a work that noted screenwriter Zou Jingzhi spent three years developing from the historical event of the Anhui opera troupes entering the capital. Directed by noted director Hu Mei, it features a cast of accomplished actors including Ma Yili, Fu Dalong, Ma Jinghan, Wang Ziwen and Jiao Huang. Set during the Qianlong reign of the Qing dynasty, the film tells of the feuds and love entanglements between a group of opera performers and their admirers. Using her characteristic artistic approach and the guiding idea that "the stage matters more than anything", director Hu Mei presents a stirring historical story and a capital legend full of twists, recreating the glorious past of a generation of opera masters and tracing the origins and development of Peking Opera, so that audiences can see the masters' pioneering spirit as they pressed on through hardship.