HIIFF forum discusses portrayal of Chinese women in films

As part of the ongoing 4th Hainan Island International Film Festival (HIIFF), a forum focusing on the image-building of Chinese women in films is held on Dec 19 in Sanya, Hainan. [Photo/Hainan Daily]

As part of the ongoing 4th Hainan Island International Film Festival (HIIFF), a forum focusing on the image-building of Chinese women in films was held in Sanya, Hainan province on Dec 19, with famous female industry players including Rao Xueman, Wang Lina, and Qin Xiqing in attendance.

"I once ran a girl-themed summer camp activity for 10 years, so I could gain a better understanding of girls with different personalities," said the well-known Chinese writer and screenwriter Rao Xueman at the forum. Armed with insights from her up-close interactions with women, Rao has created several acclaimed female fictional characters in her over 30 years of writing, some of which have been adapted into films like The Left Ear and Secret Fruit.

In the view of Wang Lina, one of the new generation of outstanding Chinese writer-directors, women boast a unique natural disposition, a kind of broad-minded charm. Wang expressed her own understanding of the portrayal of women through her stories about a woman in the desert and another about a woman who defends a tree at her home.

Through her research, Qin Xiqing, a female film researcher at the Chinese National Academy of Arts, has discovered women in Chinese films are typically portrayed as pathetic, suffering, or acting in caring roles such as a wife or mother.

"However, such characters can play a critical role in sparking reflection on social inequality and other issues," Qin said, adding that new portrayals of women with more complex personalities and more varied roles in films will offer a fresh perspective into social change.