CHINESE film directors were in deep sorrow this week, immersed in their condolences for the death of Wu Tianming, an influential filmmaker in China.

    Known as the “godfather of the fifth generation” to Chinese filmmakers, Wu was found dead Tuesday of an apparent heart attack in his home in Beijing. Wu was 75.

    A memorial service will be held Saturday in Beijing, and Wu’s representative works will be shown in the cinema of Beijing Film Academy on Monday.

    Many well-known filmmakers and actors/actresses said that Wu’s passing was a big loss for the Chinese film industry.

    “It was shocking news. Wu was such an energetic filmmaker and had very strong opinions about the development of the Chinese film industry. He was a highly respected figure in the industry and had always been supportive of young filmmakers,” said Zhang Yang, a director famous for his 1999 independent production “Shower.”

    “Wu was the most important person in my life. He was always a healthy man. When I heard the news, I was shocked and could not say a word for a long time,” said “The Founding of a Republic” director Huang Jianxin.

    Born in Shanxi Province in 1939, Wu was once the youngest head of Xi’an Film Studio in Shaanxi Province. He directed several celebrated films that reshaped Chinese modern cinema, including “The Old Well” (1986) and the “King of Masks” (1996). These films, along with “Life” (1984), “CEO” (2002) and “Song of the Phoenix” (2013), earned praise by critics around the world.

    (SD-Agencies)

    ‘Godfather’ in the eyes of directors

    ALTHOUGH Wu Tianming always modestly said that he just “took the advantages of the young directors,” he was actually the mentor of the “fifth generation” of Chinese filmmakers. Had it not been Wu, the destinies of the “fifth generation” Chinese directors would be different — many movies, including “Yellow Earth” (1984) by Chen Kaige and “Red Sorghum” (1987) by Zhang Yimou, would have been suspended due to lack of money, and well-known directors like Gu Changwei and Huang Jianxin might have had to continue their jobs as photographer and script-holder for several more years.

    ZHANG YIMOU:‘Red Sorghum’ might have been ‘killed’ without Wu

    “I was so sad when hearing the news,” said Zhang on Tuesday. Zhang won the best actor award at the Tokyo International Film Festival in 1987 for his performance in Wu’s “The Old Well.”

    “Just recently, we had some discussions about a film project and had dinner together. For years, I had called him ‘boss.’ He was so healthy and strong. When I met him last time, he was still full of energy.”

    When Wu started shooting “The Old Well” in 1985, Zhang was a photographer for the movie. In the beginning, Wu hoped to cast a leading actor who “looked like Zhang.” However, it was not easy to find an actor who looked like Zhang and had similar “spirits,” so Wu decided to give Zhang a try. “I liked his simple but powerful way of acting,” Wu said.

    “When I was still planning ‘Red Sorghum,’ the sorghum season arrived before I could launch the project. Wu was very supportive and gave me 30,000 yuan immediately without getting approval from upper departments. It was a very large amount of money at that time. Because of the money, the film could be started and made,” Zhang said.

    Wu also helped Zhang in his personal life so that he could settle down and focus on his film career.

    CHEN KAIGE:  Wu sold ‘King of Children’  with poker cards

    Chen first met Wu when Wu was shooting “Life” in 1984.

    “Zhang Yimou, He Qun and I were in a very difficult situation at that time. We were doing some exterior shooting for ‘Yellow Earth’ and ran out of money. We were hungry, though, so we went to Wu for help, who was also doing exterior shooting. Wu made us something to eat and lent us 3,000 yuan and a car immediately. Actually, he had borrowed the car from someone else,” Chen said.

    China Film Group held the first China Film Festival in 1985. “Because of some disagreements between China Film and Xi’an Film Studio, the ‘King of Children,’ which I directed, was not included in the show list. Xi’an Film decided to host an introduction session for the film, but they were not allowed to hand out flyers in the festival.

    “Wu wrote all the information in English on a pack of poker cards and sold the movie to every overseas buyer in the festival. Because of his efforts, my movie was purchased by 14 countries, becoming the bestselling movie in that festival,” Chen said.

    GU CHANGWEI:  Wu gave me a ‘shortcut’ for my career

    Gu graduated from the Beijing Film Academy in 1982 and became an assistant photographer at Xi’an Film Studio. The next year, Wu became the head of the studio.

    “At one time, it could take 20 years for an assistant photographer to become a photographer. Wu launched a series of reforms after he became the head of the studio, including giving the talented and energetic young staff more authority in production, so many young staffers such as Zhang Yimou and me had chances to prove ourselves much earlier in our careers than was previously possible,” Gu said.

    Since 1984, Gu has been the photographer for several young directors’ films including “King of Children,” “Red Sorghum” and “Farewell My Concubine.”

    “There were so many great movies in the 1980s because of his support. He was a charming man and had a strong influence on many of the people in the industry,” Gu said.

    (Wang Yuanyuan)