Filmmaker Jiang Wen says content matters most

Prominent Chinese filmmaker Jiang Wen shared insights on filmmaking in his signature style — defiant, sharp, and refreshingly straightforward — during a master class at the 15th Beijing International Film Festival (BJIFF) on April 25.

Jiang Wen, speaks at a master class in his name during the 15th Beijing International Film Festival, April 25, 2025. [Photo courtesy of BJIFF Organizing Committee]

"Put down your phone and use your brain," Jiang urged a packed venue of thousands. "Then we can have a real conversation," he told the audience.

"If young people truly want to make films, they must first ask themselves what they want to express." He took a moment before continuing, "If you have nothing to say, you won't make good films anyway. The technical aspects are just tools — like a microphone — but what you want to say matters most."

Jiang is known as a filmmaker who embodies these words. He has adapted numerous licensed novels into films, so radically different they become virtually unrecognizable from their source material. But as he explained, this stems from a belief that interpretation depends entirely on one's own perspective. He recognizes the original novels in the same manner as a creative catalyst.

The filmmaker explained his films have never included unscripted dialogue — every line was finalized during the screenplay stage. "This process is vital for shaping and refining the film," he noted. In a way, he approaches his craft with rigorous discipline, maintaining that authentic characterization demands deep understanding, toward both content and character.

On directing, Jiang's advice was stark: "Be a real director — don't act as if you are playing one." He views a director's core duty as twofold; The first is to cultivate an environment where every department thrives, ensuring the shoot's success. The second is to cast with alchemical precision — matching each role to an actor who could truly ignite it.

"And here's how I work — it's simple, I lavish praise until actors are drunk on it. Only when they're euphoric can they deliver what you envision. Constant criticism kills performance."

Despite today's technological advances, where young people embrace increasingly convenient editing tools and AI — Jiang remains steadfast: "Cutting-edge technology could be wasted on telling a shallow story — or worse, a boring one. The soul of a film? That ultimate layer depends solely on the human mind."

Jiang Wen and renowned film critic Raymond Zhou pose for a group photo with the audience at a master class event during the 15th Beijing International Film Festival, April 25, 2025. [Photo courtesy of BJIFF Organizing Committee]

In his film "Hidden Man" (2018), there's a memorable line, "We had to make this batch of dumplings just for that bit of fine vinegar." When questioned about the metaphor, Jiang quipped, "Well, it now reminds me of someone…" — then revealed filmmaker Yang Yu, whose professional alias "Jiaozi" literally means "dumpling" in English.

Yang is the director behind the 2019 animated film "Ne Zha" and its recent sequel, the latter of which now stands as the highest-grossing Chinese film and the fifth highest-grossing film globally of all time. It's phenomenal success and combined box office earnings made him the highest-grossing Chinese filmmaker in history.

Talking on this, Jiang said, "He's accomplished something remarkable, but I believe this is just the beginning… there are so many 'dumplings' ready for cooking. Besides, who serves just one dumpling? You'd bring out a whole plate… and this is absolutely the starting point for Chinese cinema."

Today, Jiang is working on "Let the Music Fly," which tells the story of a musical genius. Mirroring the opening message, he encourages young people to act, rather than complain. He lives by these words, half-jokingly saying "I might be a piano genius myself" after learning to play Beethoven with zero training during the creative process of his new film. 

He elaborated, "I'm not boasting how great I am, but you should do things you want to do. If you try, you might shock yourself. You might be far more capable than you imagine. Maybe you've just been distracted by your smartphone all this time — put it down, and you could achieve so much more."