Throughout the Western world, the television broadcast and DVD/video release of the Queer As Folk series is considered to be a pivotal element in changing public perceptions of homosexuality.
The film version of China's most popular modern (and Internet based) novel, Lan Yu, may well bring the same change to much of Asia. Lan Yu is filmed and set in modern Beijing it's the story of a wordly-wise businessman Hangdong who finds true love with Lan Yu, the student activist he thought was a "one night stand".
Covering a 9 year period in which their love is tested by separation, financial stress, cultural pressures and relationship problems, "Lan Yu" shows how compelling and real a same-sex loving relationship can be.
The actors are superb, Stanley Kwan's direction is entertaining and beautiful and Jimmy Gnai's screenplay presents an uncomplicated easily accessible narrative.
The following is a brief excerpt from my interview with Stanley Kwan in Brisbane in July 2001:
JF: We had the pleasure of seeing your film Lan Yu here last night as part of the Brisbane International Film Festival and it's a very honest portrayal of how men can love each other. You must be happy with the film?
SK: I'm quite happy especially as I said last night, that this is the first time I've worked with a major Beijing film crew and I found the process very exciting and you know there are lots of efficient and talented crew members and actors in Beijing. So it was just a wonderful experience and during the shooting I found that they were also very devoted to the story the emotion, the relationship of the characters. So I think somehow the final product I'm quite satisfied with, and part of the reason is that the whole crew were really devoted to it.
JF: The story that "Lan Yu" is based on is being represented as perhaps the most widely read Chinese novel and it's an electronic novel, it exists only on the Internet. Because that story is so popular, do you expect that when Lan Yu is released on DVD, that it will be watched throughout mainland China - even if it doesn't ever get to be in the cinema?
SK: I think theatrical release is still impossible. From "day one" the financier and producer knew that. With this subject we thought there is no way that we can release the film in theatres in Mainland China. But we believe that the film's second life, the DVD market or the videotape market that would be large in Mainland, because you know we set up a website for Lan Yu on the Internet and the audience response was excellent. So we are going to distribute the DVD, the VCD or videotape in Mainland on our own - and not particularly because of the money. We've made this film adapted from this popular novel and we would like that the product can be shown to most of the (potential) audience especially the gay people, they are really longing for that.
The film version of China's most popular modern (and Internet based) novel, Lan Yu, may well bring the same change to much of Asia. Lan Yu is filmed and set in modern Beijing it's the story of a wordly-wise businessman Hangdong who finds true love with Lan Yu, the student activist he thought was a "one night stand".
Covering a 9 year period in which their love is tested by separation, financial stress, cultural pressures and relationship problems, "Lan Yu" shows how compelling and real a same-sex loving relationship can be.
The actors are superb, Stanley Kwan's direction is entertaining and beautiful and Jimmy Gnai's screenplay presents an uncomplicated easily accessible narrative.
The following is a brief excerpt from my interview with Stanley Kwan in Brisbane in July 2001:
JF: We had the pleasure of seeing your film Lan Yu here last night as part of the Brisbane International Film Festival and it's a very honest portrayal of how men can love each other. You must be happy with the film?
SK: I'm quite happy especially as I said last night, that this is the first time I've worked with a major Beijing film crew and I found the process very exciting and you know there are lots of efficient and talented crew members and actors in Beijing. So it was just a wonderful experience and during the shooting I found that they were also very devoted to the story the emotion, the relationship of the characters. So I think somehow the final product I'm quite satisfied with, and part of the reason is that the whole crew were really devoted to it.
JF: The story that "Lan Yu" is based on is being represented as perhaps the most widely read Chinese novel and it's an electronic novel, it exists only on the Internet. Because that story is so popular, do you expect that when Lan Yu is released on DVD, that it will be watched throughout mainland China - even if it doesn't ever get to be in the cinema?
SK: I think theatrical release is still impossible. From "day one" the financier and producer knew that. With this subject we thought there is no way that we can release the film in theatres in Mainland China. But we believe that the film's second life, the DVD market or the videotape market that would be large in Mainland, because you know we set up a website for Lan Yu on the Internet and the audience response was excellent. So we are going to distribute the DVD, the VCD or videotape in Mainland on our own - and not particularly because of the money. We've made this film adapted from this popular novel and we would like that the product can be shown to most of the (potential) audience especially the gay people, they are really longing for that.