Speaking for Women Is Not Equal to Feminism An Interview with Film Director Yuchi Tian
When asked what kinds of opportunities inspired her to create works from female perspectives, she said it was because of a discussion with one of her professors in graduate school that inspired her.
Yuchi Tian is an award-winning film director based in Los Angeles who graduated from the New York Film Academy. After she came to America, she realized the conflicts between Eastern and Western cultures and hopes to utilize her artistic expertise to speak for women. She said, I am willing to present female stories that may happen in reality from a female perspective, and I hope everyone can see women's beauty in different aspects and hear their voices.
Take her work, The Ray of Light, as an example. The film was shot in 2019. In this film, Yuchi conveys her thinking about women's self-identity and self-consciousness. This work is adapted from a true story - the heroine's mother died suddenly. She felt her spiritual support collapsed because her mother was the close one who encouraged her and accompanied her to learn piano from her young. She cried day and night, even avoiding touching the piano for a long time. However, her older sister gives her warm encouragement, and the girl has decided to start playing the piano again, even going to participate in a worldwide piano competition. Yuchi hopes to convey that women will often burst out with incredible abilities when facing major changes and sufferings in life. An ordinary woman born in this world has her own talent.
However, Yuchi believes that speaking for women does not mean that we have to stand on men's opposite side. "I am not a person who advocates myself as a feminist. What I want to show is the inner strength of women," she says.
When asked what kinds of opportunities inspired her to create works from female perspectives, she said it was because of a discussion with one of her professors in graduate school that inspired her. The professor told her that film production is rooted in the process of understanding culture and sharpening social contradictions. There are fundamental differences in many basic concepts between the East and the West. Therefore, filming should start from the familiar culture to create work.
Yuchi Tian has won eight awards for her masterful filming projects and scored twelve additional nominations. She knows that film is where her heart, and will continue this career path with no doubt.