Wang Yu
Award-Winning Filmmaker
Best Cinematography
Cinematographer, Creation of the Gods I: Kingdom of Storms
Jury Citation
Faced with complex visual design elements, the cinematographer of Creation of the Gods I: Kingdom of Storms combines traditional photographic craft with modern digital technology and an industrialised production process. The cinematography plays a vital part in setting the film's mood, advancing the plot, creating atmosphere and shaping its overall style, creating a visual world with strong features of traditional Chinese culture and aesthetics.
Creation of the Gods I: Kingdom of Storms: Synopsis
In the bitter cold, the air is heavy with menace. Yin Shou (Kris Phillips), second prince of the Shang, leads the hostage-sons' brigade he trained himself, together with the Shang army, against the rebellious Su Hu, Marquis of Jizhou, and unwittingly breaks the seal on a fox demon in the Tomb of Xuanyuan. The fox demon possesses Su Hu's daughter Daji (Narana Erdyneeva), whom Yin Shou brings back to Zhaoge as a gift for his father the king and his elder brother. At a night banquet, the crown prince, his mind bewitched, draws his sword and kills his father. Yin Shou then takes the throne, and disasters from heaven force him to decide to burn himself as a sacrifice. Meanwhile, Jiang Ziya (Huang Bo), an immortal of Kunlun, descends the mountain with the Investiture Scroll to seek a ruler for all under heaven and save the people. In Zhaoge he perceives Yin Shou's cruelty and hurriedly flees. Prince Yin Jiao (Chen Muchi), who once saw Yin Shou as a wise ruler, and Ji Fa (Yu Shi), hostage son of the Duke of the West, also discover the king's selfish desires and Daji's strangeness. Under dark clouds, Zhaoge is about to be engulfed in a storm of blood...