Annecy International Animated Film Festival 2018 - Winds of Spring (Un Printemps)
Unfolding with the rhythm of the seasons, Winds of Spring tells the tender story of a young girl who, driven by the irrepressible need for self-fulfillment, decides to leave the family nest. Keyu Chen employs her signature style of fluid transitions and fine, spare lines inspired by Chinese ink painting in her delicately crafted first film.
Interview with Writer/Director Keyu Chen
Watch Winds of Spring (Un Printemps) here:
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
I’ve always been close to my family. We lived in a city in southeastern China with a large extended family in the surrounding region. When I left for Beijing at age 18, I thought I was just going there to finish my university studies. Two years later in 2006, I landed in Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec through an exchange program. I figured it was just another three-year trip. But once my studies were finished, one project after another kept me in Canada. When I realized my stay was becoming indefinite, I felt I had broken my earlier promise. The family no longer asked me, “When are you coming back?” but rather, “Why don’t you come back?” People around me asked, “Why did you leave your family?” These questions are all hard to answer. That was the point when I began writing this film.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
It’s a little like a poem of early spring. Maybe you will enjoy the season, maybe you will feel something in the wind.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
The film is my own personal story, but leaving home is something most people can relate to. Everyone has their own story. I made the film without narration in the hopes that the feelings could be conveyed directly through image, sound and movement.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?
Developing the film wasn’t initially easy. My feelings toward my family were complex, and I didn’t want to come out and say that the decision to leave had been my own. I struggled with trying to depict the moment I decided to leave the nest. Finally, I decided to omit the narration and give more space to nature. I think this is closer to my real feelings.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
Winds of Spring is my first professional short film. It premiered at the end of last year, and I received positive feedback, which encouraged me. After it screens at various festivals this year, I hope to receive more comments and reviews. Whether they’re positive or negative, whenever people talk about your film, it’s a good sign.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
I didn’t have feedback that surprised or challenged me, but I did receive one which I found interesting, in a way. My mom saw the film when she came to visit me at the National Film Board studio last year. It was the first time she had come to Canada since I left home. She didn’t say anything after, and I didn’t dare ask for her feedback, either. It was a bit like when I left.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on wearemovingstories.com?
I’m very glad to see that my film is visible for a larger audience. I’ve never been to Australia, but I hope my film will. It’s like in my story – the child leaves home and goes far away.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
The film is 100-percent NFB-produced, and so the NFB took charge of marketing, which let me focus on creating.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
I hope my film will provide encouragement for anyone thinking of leaving home, as well as reassure those who have already left. It’s a part of life!
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
When did you decide to leave your parents to live your own adventure? Why?
What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now? Where can I watch them next and in the coming months?
This year, I’m working as an animator on someone else’s project. That gives me a break after the intense end-of-production period. I’m taking this time to learn and mull over new ideas. I’m really excited to go to Zagreb and Annecy in early June. It’ll be my first time presenting my film at two major festivals. I can’t wait to see the programs and meet inspiring people!
Interview: June 2018
We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series, music video, women's films, LGBTQIA+, POC, First Nations, scifi, supernatural, horror, world cinema. If you have just made a film - we'd love to hear from you. Or if you know a filmmaker - can you recommend us? More info: Carmela
Winds of Spring (Un Printemps)
Unfolding with the rhythm of the seasons, Winds of Spring tells the tender story of a young girl who, driven by the irrepressible need for self-fulfillment, decides to leave the family nest. Keyu Chen employs her signature style of fluid transitions and fine, spare lines inspired by Chinese ink painting in her delicately crafted first film.
Length: 6:07 minutes
Director: Keyu Chen
Producer: Marc Bertrand (NFB)
Executive Producer: Julie Roy (NFB)
Writer: Keyu Chen
About the writer, director and producer:
KEYU CHEN is the winner of the 21st edition of the NFB’s Cinéaste recherché(e) competition. She studied animation for two years in Beijing, then left her native China and moved to Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in 3D production. She now lives in Montreal.
MARC BERTRAND joined the French Animation Studio as a producer in 1998 and has since produced more than 100 films. In 2011, he produced Sunday (2011) by Patrick Doyon, which earned an Oscar® nomination and won the 2012 Jutra Award for Best Animated Film. In 2013, Marc became an AMPAS (Academy of Motion Picture, Arts and Sciences). In 2016, his production of Theodore Ushev’s Vaysha the Blind won both the Jury Prise and de Children Jury prize in Annecy and in 2017 the film was nominated for an Oscar® in for the Best Short Animated film category.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nfb.ca/ OR https://www.facebook.com/onf.ca/ OR https://www.facebook.com/Chen.Keyu
Instagram: @onf_nfb OR @keyu.c
Where can I watch it next and in the coming month? Animafest Zagreb June 2018 (http://www.animafest.hr/en) AND Annecy International Film Festival 2018