Making Documentaries in China: Oscar Winner, Malcolm Clarke + Producer, Han Yi

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We are talking about making documentary films in China with 2-time Oscar-winning, 4-time nominated Academy Award documentary film director, Malcolm Clarke. We are also joined by Han Yi, a Golden Horse-winning producer of documentary films. Malcolm is originally from the UK while Yi is from Chengdu, but both are currently living in Shanghai.
Malcolm and Yi reside at Artefact Entertainment, and have collaborated on a number of recent films, including "Better Angels"; a mini-series, "A Long Cherished Dream", and most recently, the controversial, "Hong Kong Returns". Malcolm & Yi share both the joys and challenges of making documentaries in China, a genre growing more popular with the popularity of digital media.
1. How did you get into documentaries and how did you meet Malcolm?
2. "Better Angels" - the 2-month project that ended taking 6 years.
3. Successful documentaries are all about achieving the right timing
4. Making documentaries are way more difficult to make than fiction films
5. Documentaries are on the rise in China because they are now accepted by moviegoers
6. Moving beyond the movie theatre success matrix for documentaries in a world of digital
7. About "A Long Cherished Dream": stories about Chinese emerging from poverty
8. We don't make propaganda films
9. "Hong Kong Returns": 10 short films & why they did them
10. Short format films provide the right format and arena to convey documentaries
11. Future projects in the pipeline: "Drive Like a Girl" & the life and times of eccentric scientist, Joseph Needham
12. A/B Test: No spicy food, NYU, & Jack Ass
Yi and Malcolm's links:
Movies:
Better Angels Promo
https://vimeo.com/277437711/3685c41e31
In My Eyes Trailer
https://vimeo.com/275186570/9b148a3169
China Heavyweight Trailer
https://vimeo.com/277397999/dc2cd75f89
Hong Kong Returns (new episode released weekly)
https://vimeo.com/user45552070
Company:
Artefact Entertainment:
http://www.artefactentertainment.com/
About Malcolm Clarke:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malcolm_Clarke_(filmmaker)
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