Jury experience in Venice challenging: Chinese director

Chinese director Fruit Chan attends a press conference for his film The Midnight After during Berlin Film Festival on Feb 7, 2014. [Photo/Xinhua]

Being part of a competition jury at the 72nd Venice International Film Festival that closed here on Saturday night was an exciting and challenging experience for China's Hong Kong director Fruit Chan.

In an interview with Xinhua, Chan highlighted that watching a film from the perspective of a jury is very different from watching it from a self perspective. "You have to evaluate a film from an overall point of view, as every film has some reasons in his style or content to be here," he said.

The Chinese director has been twice in competition at the Venice Film Festival, with Durian Durian in 2000 and Hollywood, Hong Kong in 2001. In 2014 he directed The Midnight After, presented at the Berlin Film Festival.

This year at the Venice festival, Chan was a jury member of Orizzonti, an international selection dedicated to films that represent the latest aesthetic and expressive trends in international cinema.

The Orizzonti Award for Best Film was given to Free in Deed by US director Jake Mahaffy, set in the world of storefront churches, while the Orizzonti Award for Best Director went to US director Brady Corbet for his The Childhood of a Leader, inspired by the childhood events of many of the great dictators of the 20th century.

Being a jury member, Chan explained to Xinhua, also allowed an experienced director like him to learn many things, as the types of films presented at the festival are not films that people usually watch for entertainment.

In addition, he said, the films in competition from different countries presented situations and feelings that were the expression of a variety of cultures.