FILMS with actors and actresses speaking in regional dialects have always been a highlight of the Chinese film industry. Although they have always been highly praised by critics and audiences, it is still hard for them to compete with mainstream films.

    However, a small village in Guangdong Province is now planning the first dialect film festival in China, with the hope of creating a celebration for all filmmakers that work hard on protecting Chinese dialects.

    At a historic bookstore, Changgong Bookstore in Zurong Village in Leizhou City, the film festival is expected to run from January to August. The award ceremony will be hosted at the end of August.

    Similar to mainstream film festivals, the dialect film festival will feature eight main awards — best film, best director, best scriptwriter, best actor, best actress, best documentary, best media award and best original soundtrack. Meanwhile, a dialect film foundation will also be established to offer financial support for dialect filmmakers.

    It is not common in China for a small village to host such a big film festival. “If the dialect film festival was being held in a city like Beijing or Shanghai, it would not feel right,” said director Qin Xiaoyu, the chairperson of the festival’s judging committee.

    “Mandarin has already taken over local dialects in many big cities, and villages are the places for original dialects. Therefore, we decided to do this dialect film festival in a rural village by the South China Sea.”

    According to the plan, the films at the festival will be aired at the village’s primary school. “The school is now being upgraded and each classroom will be used to air the films. Children and villagers at the school will also have a chance to watch these films. It will be the world’s first festival that is closest to the public,” Qin said.

    Besides Zurong Village, the festival will also launch an online video platform so that audiences from around the country can enjoy films in their own dialects. “All the films on the online platform will be limited to 45 minutes or less because they will be easier to promote on mobile platforms. But if some really good films are a little longer, we can make some exceptions. We will also provide financial support for award-winning films to be promoted overseas,” Qin said.

    “Dialects are always charming but are in danger of being lost, so we hope that we can use the films as a platform to protect and record them,” said Qin.

    Films to be screened at the festival must use at least one type of dialect as its main language. At the same time, the film itself should be a complete film production, meeting various requirements for story, music, picture and structure, etc.

    “China has many different dialects. Some dialects are hard for outsiders to understand, so we will also invite some dialect experts to be our judges. The online exhibition is also important because locals are the best judges for dialect films,” Qin said.

    In Qin’s opinion, a good dialect film is not just about using dialects. “We will see if a film can use the charm of the dialect. Normally, these kinds of films will have strong regional characteristics, so when we see professional actors/actresses use a dialect that is not their own in a film, it often feels weird. Therefore, we encourage our actors/actresses to do the film in their home dialects,” Qin said.

    Qin thought that dialect films such as Jia Zhangke’s “Mountains May Depart” and Guan Hu’s “Mr. Six” are two excellent examples of dialect films in recent years.

    “Jia’s films are always the representatives of dialect films. In this film, there are normally no famous actors/actresses, and they speak a very traditional Fenyang dialect (a dialect in Shanxi Province),” Qin said.

    “Mountains May Depart” is about the changes in dialects in one hometown. The first generation in 1999 is a world of the original dialect, but the second generation in 2014 speaks a mix of the local dialect and Mandarin. However, by 2024, the lead character can only speak to his father with the help of an English translator.

    “The three worlds are so different, and the dialects remind us of our hometowns and where we are originally from,” Qin said.

    (Wang Yuanyuan)