Suzhou River Interview: Lou Ye

Q. Do you have any personal attributions to the title of the film? A. I was born in Shanghai and I have known the river from a long time ago. Shanghai people seem to have negative images of the SuZhou River, and some even try to avoid its very presence. I think this is very similar to the romantic emotions that lurk in the hearts of many. But because like the river that exists in reality, I think there is a need to deal with those emotions in a straightforward way. Q. Did you have the idea of having the heroine act in a mermaid show in the nightclub from the very start? A. No, I did not have this idea when I first stated to write the script for this film. But when I came up with the idea of the "mermaid show", I really started to become serious about turning the script into a film. In Wu Han, I have seen on TV a woman who does this kind of show in real life. These shows also existed in old Shanghai. Q. I heard that this film was initially made for TV? A. I did not planned this film for TV broadcast, but started filming with the hope of at least having it screened on TV. My first two films ("Weekend Lover" ,"Don't be Young") were all made on 35 mm film, but this film was made on 16mm. Filming on 16mm cuts down on costs, and it also requires lesser equipment and staff, which brings the advantage of more freedom in movement. Q. I have heard that you have recently made a short digital video piece on a request from the Rotterdam Film Festival? A. Yes, it is a 16-minute piece called "Waterfront" and the shooting has been completed. As the shoot required very little equipment, I was able to return to the "primitive" level of shooting and concentrate on shooting whatever I wanted. This made me see some elements that I have never thought about in filming. I think it is a good experience for filmmakers to try shooting on digital video first, without worrying about what the actual film should be shot on. Director's Profile: : Born in Shanghai in 1965. Upon graduating from the Beijing Film Academy in 1994, completed his graduation work, Weekend Lover (1994), his graduation work for the Beijing Film Academy, was awarded the Directors' Prize at the Mannheim-Heidelberg Film Festival in 1996. Subsequently worked on a number of works for television, and in 1998, founded the production company Dream Factory, which produced Suzhou River.