CW: Meiwenti has run short film contests in Shanghai before. What cities are you expanding to this time? Paris, Madrid, Orlando, St. Louis, Bogota, Buenos Aires, Hong Kong and Shanghai are all ready to go. We’re waiting for confirmation for London, Moscow, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Mexico City, Beijing, Xi’an and Guangzhou.

CW: How’d you choose the theme “against all odds?” Making a movie is not easy. Organizing a film contest with scarce resources is tough. Revolutionizing an art form is an ordeal, especially an art that’s protected by financial interests and measures quality by sales. The filmmakers participating in the contest, the promoters in each city and us here at Meiwenti’s headquarters, we’re all fighting in these three levels to change the history of film. It’s really against all odds, but we’ll prevail because the gods love Meiwenti!

CW: You advertise this contest as “the first phase of Meiwenti’s plans to create an independent film distribution network.” Explain. Our improvised short film contest here created a community of indie filmmakers that don’t just talk about movies but go out and make them. If we replicate this all over the world and unite with similar communities worldwide, we can create a network to distribute indie films.

CW: Do you think contests like this help the local film industry? Yes, it brings new blood into the equation. Our message is that filmmaking is for everyone who has the guts, period. The people who are willing to break barriers always bring fresh ideas and drive. Art thrives on this.

CW: Which promising local filmmakers are you excited by? We are trying to reach out to university students. I want to see how many of them are brave enough. We’ve always had problems with university students because they chicken out in the end. Let’s see what happens this time.

Details:

What: Meiwenti Global Film Contest
When: Through Wednesday, July 8
Contact: www.meiwentinetwork.com