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Life丨Documentary highlights true Olympic ideal
2023-05-22 16:29
During the Beijing Winter Olympics last year, Japanese figure skater Yuzuru Hanyu held a news conference a few days after missing the podium for the men's singles free skate competition, taking fourth place.
Beijing 2022 was prepared and shot over a period of nearly three years between 2020 and 2023, with more than 1,000 crew members involved in the production. They were divided into different teams and sent to several countries, following the training and family moments of involved athletes, such as the Hungarian-born short-track speedskating brothers Sandor Liu Shaolin and Liu Shaoang, and American snowboarder Chris Corning.
▲ Snowboarding prodigy Su Yiming. China Daily
The content has been interwoven into three chapters, respectively titled Ji (Fast), Yong (Brave) and Rong (Merging).The font of the three Chinese characters is derived from ancient inscriptions, as Lu hopes to interpret the modern spirit of sports in the manner of Chinese classical culture.
Sports fans can relive the exhilarating moments of athletes winning medals, ranging from snowboarding prodigy Su Yiming's victory lap to claim first place in the Big Air freeski, to short-track speedskating icon Wu Dajing's final run in the mixed team relay that earned China its first gold medal at the Beijing Winter Olympics.
"Winning Olympic champions are just the visible tip of an iceberg, while the ordinary people who work tirelessly behind the scenes form the larger, hidden part underwater. Their contributions may not be as celebrated, but they still play a critical role in the success of the event and deserve recognition," says Lu.
▲ A poster for the film. China Daily
Even with the consent of athletes to follow them from their accommodations to competition venues, Lu said he still had his own concerns. "We feared that the cameras might distract the athletes and hinder their chance of winning," he explains.
These stories include a barber who gave up time with his family during the Spring Festival holiday to serve the event, as well as a group of doctors who played sports with improvised "equipment", such as mineral water buckets, to entertain themselves during their stay at the Olympic Village for over 80 days.
A renowned director known for critically acclaimed movies such as City of Life and Death, Lu has also paid close attention to the domestic film industry, saying that he hopes the industry's recovery will also benefit his upcoming documentary, even though documentaries are still considered a niche market.
Recalling his attendance at the opening ceremony of the Beijing film festival, where he was surrounded by throngs of people, Lu says he has been prompted to reflect more deeply on the role of cinema and its future.
Reporter:Xu Fan