Fan Yuming starts filming "Huo Guo"

Director (Andy) Fan YuMing kicks off filming the short trailer-style film "Huo Guo" ("hot pot") today. This modern gangster comedy film presents a satyric look at modern China as local and Italian forces struggle to gain a piece of art from China's heritage. Mix all the ingredients and wait until it comes to a boil.

A typical spicy hot-pot

I feel like I am going out of the frying pan, (or at least the hot pot) and into the fire. I am acting in this little production and will be speaking in Chinese.. Wo zhen hai pa, yingwei wo Zhongwen zhen shuo de hen cha !!! (I am nervous because my Chinese sucks!)

including some lines in Shanghainese -- so now I know the meaning of "Nao zi wa te le!" a local insult meaning literally "your brain is broken"and have found it is useful in Shanghai traffic.

Westview Films announces "Dark Waters"

Westview Films announced its new feature film project, DARK WATERS.

Like director Richard Trombly's other Mandarin language films in China, this story centers on the struggle Chinese youth face in balancing 5000 years of tradition and the crashing wave of modern society and western culture.

Even as the modern world should offer endless freedom of choice, there seem to be so few options to many young Chinese. It is like being on a boat and seeing so many possible destinations in the distance around you while being restricted in choice to merely going up or down stream.

(one of China's ubiquitous riverboats)

"When I arrived in China 6 years ago, China had few highways and few tractor trailer trucks to deliver things. China was, however, embarking upon a great effort to create a vast national highway project and has made incredible progress," says Trombly. "But for now, there are still huge numbers of riverboats traveling the "water highways" in rivers and canals across the country. Thousands of families live on these riverboat barges that remain the backbone of the logistics in China. But times are changing and the modern highways and improved rail systems are slowly spelling the end of this way of life."

Trombly is fascinated with this way of life that will soon disappear and how it fits the struggle of young people in China. This setting makes an ideal backdrop for exploring some of the issues and challenges faced by China's youth. The restricted and claustrophobic environment leads to interpersonal conflicts against a counterpoint of some of the loveliest rural scenes in China.

Trombly said the script is currently in development and will be filmed later in 2010. Trombly is working with some top Chinese talent to develop this story with native authenticity and international perspective.

Director Richard Trombly to head Westview Films

Westview Films

Westview Films is founded to make international films within the China market. Few foreign filmmakers can successfully navigate the governmental restriction, take advantage of the cost savings in China or produce stories that resonate within the Chinese culture.

Few Chinese filmmakers can make films that are accessible to an international audience.

That is our niche.

We will work together with top foreign and local talent to promote cultural exchange with producing great films.

We will be shortly announcing our first project.

Contact : Richard@trombly.com

"Meatspace" Short film selected for Chong Qing, China film festival Nov 21-29

Director/producer Gianpaolo Lupori's intriguing short film follows the theme of lost youth in modern China. Many young Chinese spend so much time online that they never talk about being in "cyberspace." Instead, their "real" lives are referred to as spending time in "meatspace." This presents a vision reminiscent of Clockwork Orange but with the director's keen insight into the gentler and more restrained nature of Chinese youth. It is in fact the very restraint and lack of power, that drives this story forward. Richard Trombly co-produced this Shanghainese-language short.

Synopsis

Among the millions pursuing a better life in the technologically saturated city of Shanghai, four dissatisfied ordinary youngsters drift between reality and cyberspace as they attempt to transform their nondescript lives by posting a series of controversial videos on the Internet.

The virtual quest, however, soon turns into a nightmare as the backlash response to their posts spills out into the real world to haunt and track them down.

Statement

Over the past years, the Internet has not only had a deep effect on the way we interact with each other, but also how we determine our personalities and relate to our surroundings. individuals are now able to creatively engineer their persona, giving new relevance to enduring philosophical investigations on the nature of identity and reality. The extensive influence the Internet has on individual and collective patterns of behavior has also spawned numerous alternative cultures that already present complex hierarchical structures, beliefs, mythologies and parallel economies.

While critics are concerned that these virtual behaviors are unraveling an already fragile social fabric and destabilizing traditional values, others believe cyberspace has provided its inhabitants an opportunity to escape their worries, broaden their horizons and satisfy emotional needs.

However - as is the case with any fledgling alternative culture - while they struggle to break out of conformist patterns, these individuals may find themselves completely disorientated, possibly facing irreversible alienation.

‘Meatspace’ is a poetically licensed reflection on some these social, psychological and cultural alterations generated by virtual interactions between individuals.

Inspired by true accounts, as well as research into various cyber cultures, ‘Meatspace’ investigates the dysfunctional relationships members of these newborn cultures may establish with the various alteregoes the Internet enables them to create. The film also attempts reveal some of the difficulties they may face as they struggle to reconcile their disembodied, virtual experiences with their material lives and the devastating effects it may have on the individual.

The movie refuses to take sides, choosing rather to ally itself with its characters, sympathetically portraying difficulties of individuals trapped between two equally menacing realities; describing how lack of prospects, human contact and self esteem may drive someone to burrow themselves completely into a parallel reality where they may experience the artificial freedom of recreating themselves.

Director's Statement FATHER JOHN: Into The Shadows

Why Father John?

First of all, this is the archetypal hero’s quest. A flawed hero is thrust out into the greater world where he faces and overcomes great challenges. He also learns about himself, faces his faults, grows stronger and then brings this knowledge, maturity and strength back home to solve problems there. And Father John does this in a delightfully fresh new way.

When I came across this script, I immediately saw the potential in doing a neo-noir spy tale in Shanghai. The signature Shanghai architecture, the Shikumen-style housing blocks, are twisted mazes of narrow alleys that leave you turned about and confused or facing a dead end. And that also reflects the traditional lives and personal relations in those communities along those longtang lanes. Famed Chinese writer AnYi Wang said that in these neighborhoods, truth, lies and dark deeds all vanish into the mist.

With a bunch of recent films showing famous Shanghai views of the riverfront with the iconic Pearl Tower or the neon lights and international fashion brands of Nanjing Lu, I wanted to see a film that went deeper into the “real” Shanghai I have come to know and love. It is an ocean teeming with the endless ebb and flow of humanity.

There are some incredibly rich and vibrant views of Shanghai that will add depth and texture to this story. From the dingy back alleys and the dilapidated dwellings to fresh new neighborhoods of the new class of upwardly mobile professionals, Shanghai is an amazing backdrop for any drama.

I also was intrigued by exploring the inner conflict in John. Spies have to do some dark things that you would only expect from confidence men, thieves and murderers. The only difference is that spies can pretend to themselves that doing it for a good reason, in service of their country, makes it ok.

John’s way of maintaining his identity and self-respect in this environment is to take on the role of nice guy; almost to a fault. He tries to make an orderly world in his office where he can dot the “I”s and cross the “T”s and everything will be alright. In a world of shoot-from-the-hip rule breakers, John tries to follow the rules and a personal code of ethics. John quite effectively carved out this niche for himself in London where, under a business cover, he could effectively play the well respected man about town. But John has been lying to himself about his nice, perfect life and the darker side of his own nature.

When he is thrust into Shanghai, his life turns upside down. In London, John kept a perfectly ordered life while in Shanghai, everything is unsure. He is out of his element and not only are the people in his new office nearly hostile to him, but there is also a traitor in their midst. His partner Bill is uncooperative and on the verge of hostility toward John.

A local Chinese staff at the office and Yuri, a shadowy figure that rescues John from a mugging, seem to be his only friends. He does not know who he can trust. But he has to learn quickly if he is going to survive, because his predecessor did not.

Greetings all

It has been several months since I have written. I have been devoting myself to developing the Feature film production of the international spy film : FATHER JOHN : Into The Shadows.

This is a neo- film noir spy story about a spy who is a true gentleman perfectly suited for London but has his cover blown in London and finds himself thrust "into the shadows" of Shanghai, in a world filled with intrigue and deception. In this environment, who can you trust? John forms a tenuous alliance with an enigmatic figure named Yuri and he must unravel a terrorist threat before the terrorists carry out a contract to assassinate him.

update projected shooting : Fall 2010

We have been slow to raise money in this current economy, but the interest is developing and we expect some strong financing shortly. But we have deeply revised and perfected the script and a few actors have read the script and expressed interest. We are able to name two actors that have committed their interest in this project.

Juliet Landau

Juliet Landau ( famed for the film Ed Wood and her recurring role as Druscilla in Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel) is up for the lead female role as John's primary love interest in London.

Peter Stomare (Prison Break, Fargo, Constantine) is the ideal casting for the shadowy Yuri.

I have spoken with Elias Koteas about playing the role of John's partner in Shanghai, Bill. I hope to have the honor of bringing these three great actors together. If the funding picture keeps on it s current optimistic track, I am hoping we can secure the fund to attach the lead star to play John.

more info to come:

thanks to my friends for the help and spiritual support in this time of struggle

Hong Kong joins in Meiwenti Global Short Film Contest

Hong Kong joined the Meiwenti independent film movement along with 13 other global cities. The Meiwwenti Global Short Film Conntest is a part of the Meiwenti Network and is designed to support independent film makers develop a supportive community and cultural exchange though film. 

Cities include

Buenos Aires   Bogota  Mexico DF   St. Louis     Los Angeles

Madrid         Paris   London      Moscow        Beijing

Guangzhou      Xi’an   Shanghai    Hong Kong

Contact your local promoter

Hong Kong is : hongkong@meiwentinetwork.com

madrid is    : Madrid@meiwentinetwork.com 

The same format for the other cities.

any confusion just contact: international@meiwentinetwork.com

and a helpful meiwenti associate will help you out.

Meiwenti announces global film contest

For complete information please visit:

http://www.meiwentinetwork.com/contest

Introduction
In the soon-to-be-infamous Meiwenti Global Film Contest, all entries have just one month to write, shoot and edit a short movie, is a natural progression from our very successful and popular Shanghai Short Film Contest. With this, we will be hoping to build similar communities of filmmakers and enthusiasts to the community that has emerged in Shanghai or to link existing communities around the world in one global contest. This will involve all cities hosting their own contests simultaneously and having their own Awards Ceremony.

Then, all the winning films will go forward to the global contest in Shanghai and compete for the prestigious Global Winner award. This global ceremony will be screened in your city where there will be a vast array of different styles on show from all over the world. There will be an added edge, as the film representing your beloved city fights for its pride.

Why the Meiwenti Global Film Contest is unique
There are thousands of short film contests and festivals in the world, what sets us apart is:

• We are the only contest whose aim is to create communities of independent film lovers around the world and use this global network for the international distribution of indie feature films
• Our business model is designed to benefit the indie filmmakers worldwide
• We want to involve everyone in filmmaking, not just film students and industry insiders
• The Meiwenti Network will support filmmakers in the production of films that have met the quality standards

Timeline

• Kick off: June 11th
  On this day, all the filmmakers who have signed up will meet up in a venue and the promoter will explain what are the requirements for the contest. The promoter will also email the requirements that same night for those filmmakers that can’t make it.
• Entries Deadline: July 8th
  Any movies submitted after can not be included in the contest, so it is very important that you mark this date and plan carefully so as not to run out of time.
• Local Ceremony: July 18th
  The local awards ceremonies will take place on July the 18th at a venue in your city with the 12 best films being screened and the winning films and actors being selected by a Jury of film industry professionals and the audience getting to vote for the ever-popular, "People’s Choice Award".
• Global Ceremony: August 1st
  All the winning films from each city being screened and a coveted Global Winner being chosen by a Jury of professional filmmakers from all over the world.

Award Categories
The voting will be carried out by a judging panel of film professionals in your city. The jurors (4 to 6) will grade the films according to the different technical aspects of filmmaking. In addition, the audience will be the Jury for one category, the always popular "People’s Choice Award".

• Winning Film
• 2nd Best Film
• 3rd Best Film
• Best Actor
• Best Actress
• People’s Choice

Disclaimer
Meiwenti Productions has the right to show the films on its website or at one of its affiliated websites and to produce contest compilation DVDs.

Sign up
Email your local promoter to sign-up or to answer any questions you have.

If your city doesn't have a promoter, you can participate in the INTERNATIONAL contest, where all the orphan filmmakers will compete. 
For more info, please contact: international@meiwentinetwork.com 

Meiwenti mobile phone video contest

Shoot a short film .... best film wins a nifty Nokia E71 phone. 

Theme - Friends

less than 1 minute: no editing: 

You do not have to be in Shanghai or even China to participate. Global entries accepted.

send entries to : Mobile@meiwentinetwork.com

Best "clips" will be screened in Shanghai.

Have fun!

Meiwenti Productions introduces Meiwenti Network

Shanghai 3 May 2009 -- Meiwenti Productions has been making independent film and supporting the independent film community in Shanghai since 2005. Now Meiwenti launches the Meiwenti Network, www.meiwentinetwork.com, an alternative way to develop a grassroots film community supporting cultural exchange and artistic expression through film around the world. 

The Meiwenti team in action

Founder Juan Vargas refers to the Meiwenti Network as a revolution in the film industry. 

"You have photographer, writers, artists, painters and sculptors working independently but only in film do we refer to the film industry," says Vargas. "But technology changes from digital distribution to desktop PC editing and affordable cameras has opened new possibilities and the time is ripe for a film revolution."

Vargas envisions the Meiwenti Network as a potential global distribution channel among worldwide communities of film professionals, afficionados and movie lovers. He does not see it as competing with the existing movie industry. Rather this would be a new way of getting quality movies to an interested public. 

Vargas says there are many people around the world who want to see quality film that is different from the run of the mill Hollywood fare. And he does not think he is alone. 

Meiwenti Network is looking for Meiwenti Network Promoters worldwide.   For more information contact :      Richard@trombly.com