Han Zhong and Ma Xiaofei
Award-Winning Filmmaker
Best Art Direction
Art Direction, Decoded
Jury Citation
The art direction of Decoded sets a successful example of turning rational thought into art. It translates cryptography into a distinctive visual language: through precise control of architectural geometry and careful design of light and shadow as symbols, abstract calculation takes concrete shape as a tense visual narrative, opening a new dimension for genre aesthetics in which reason and poetry meet.
Decoded: Synopsis
Adapted from the title novel of the trilogy (Decoded, In the Dark, The Message) by Mai Jia, winner of the Mao Dun Literature Prize, the film tells the legendary life of a mathematical genius. In the 1940s, amid turbulent China-US relations, breaking the enemy's communication codes is of great importance. Rong Jinzhen (Liu Haoran) shows astonishing mathematical talent and an "ability to interpret dreams" from childhood, and is raised by Little Lili (Daniel Wu), then president of the university, and his wife Ye Xiaoning (Yu Feihong). When he enters university, Rong Jinzhen draws attention by solving a problem set by mathematics professor Hiis (John Cusack). Zheng (Chen Daoming), director of Unit 701, brings him into a secret organisation, beginning a story that has never been told...