After two weeks of suspense and changes to the original script, residents in Tiantongyuan, a community in North Beijing's Changping District, finally started shooting a new movie last Saturday in their neighbourhood among doubts and uncertainty.

The 30-minute film, cast and produced by volunteers from local residents, is called What Can I Get To Save You, My Daughter.

Adapted from real events in the neighbourhood, the light comedy features a tae kwon do practising mother, who bravely rescues her 19-year-old Internet-addicted daughter from the ill-intending "sweetheart" she met online.

According to Song Jianjun, the film's director and main producer, the film is meant to raise local residents' security conscience and keep their neighbourhood and families safer from theft and harm.

A graduate from Communication University of China, Song settled down at Tiantongyuan about two years ago.

As a neighbourhood featuring lower-cost economic apartments, Tiantongyuan is densely populated with thousands of lower-income families.

Over the past two years, there have been complaints about rising security problems and reports on crimes committed within the neighbourhood.

Like most of his neighbours, Song has been worrying about it.

Long vying to be a film director himself, Song initiated the idea of shooting the film two months ago on the neighbourhood's website.

Song's idea was well received and has been getting increasing interest from people in and out of the neighbourhood. Many have contributed their ideas and support through meetings or online discussions.

By the end of last month, Song, teaming up with several others, gathered a digital video (DV) machine, the script, the cast and even the theme song. They had planned to start on July 29.

However, their enthusiasm was soon dampened with strong opposition from the neighbourhood's property management and intervention from Changping District government.

According to a report by The Beijing News on August 2, publicity officials from the district government were not in favour of the film because they believe it exaggerates the security problems within the area.

"This may cause more negative effects on the neighbourhood's security management," one official was quoted as saying.

"I had never expected the film to arouse so many conflicts," said Song on his personal blog on sina.com soon after the film's suspension. "I love DV and I mean well with the film, wishing that it would bring some fun to the neighbourhood and hopefully, it would also help to raise people's conscience of security and a harmonious family."

To compromise, the production team revised the story to a less-violent one.

But their revision was too much to please all.

Many netizens voiced their support for the film's original version and suggested the production team turn a blind eye to all those "unwarranted" oppositions.

"I don't think you really have to take into account all those oppositions," said a netizen calling himself Da Lin on Tiantongyuan's community forum. "The most important thing that deserves your real attention is how to make the film as enjoyable as possible."

"We were encouraged," said Song recently. "We agreed on our first story and worked hard on its perfection."

Without sponsorship, Song had planned to use DV for the shooting. He ended up renting one professional recorder from Beijing Film Academy with his own money so the film would come out more professional.

"Since we've decided to make the film, we wish it the best," said Song. "We hope that film amateurs find it entertaining enough and in the eyes of professionals, it is not that amateurish."

According to Song, the film is now under editing and will be ready for release by the end of this month. Several film companies have offered to buy the film. But Song insists that the film is to entertain himself and the neighbourhood.

"We will probably get it released on the Internet or screened in the garden of our neighbourhood," Song said.

(China Daily 08/18/2006 page16)