By Dan Barish (cityweekend.com)
Updated: 2008-03-31 16:11

With the Shanghai winter behind us, thoughts of summer abound. While not crazy about the sweltering heat that June, July and August bring, we can't wait for the summer movies that will give us a chance to escape the sun for an hour or two. There is no shortage of films to see in Shanghai, but when was the last time you saw a really good local indie movie? Shanghai's small indie scene, fractured between foreign and Chinese filmmakers, is struggling to develop. In the eyes of independent filmmaker Richard Trombly, "Shanghai is a city full of pent up creative energy" which has not yet translated into an indie film scene.

Locally-based independent filmmaker Gianpaolo Lupori believes that Shanghai is still "waiting for a scene" because it's defined in Western eyes by a perceived exoticism. Its primary function in films is to add allure to a story. "Shanghai has yet to be portrayed as a relevant place, it's just a location," says Lupori. Trombly agrees, noting that he would "love to see Shanghai as a character in film." The desire to use Shanghai as a metaphor for the exotic may explain the lack of an indie scene from the Western side, but what about the city's Chinese filmmakers? Surely they can look past Shanghai's exoticism to find the real people and stories to define an indie scene.

Not quite yet, cautions Trombly. As he sees it, there are several issues hindering such development. The first is what he calls the "wonderfully humble" nature of many Chinese who lack the arrogance he feels is necessary to be an artist. Trombly also believes that because "many Chinese are just beginning to express themselves through film, they are still searching for a voice." The realities of free expression in China also take a toll on all indie filmmakers regardless of nationality. Finally, Jud Willmont, producer and director at Willmountain Films, a Shanghai-based production company, believes Shanghai's multitude of commercial opportunities also hinders the development of an indie scene. "It takes a lot of energy to make a film, and with so much commercial work many people just don't have the time for a pet project," says Willmont.

So, while all agree that Shanghai is as Willmont says, "fertile ground for creative thought," commercial projects dominate and a significant indie film scene is a ways away. In the meantime, we'll have to make do with whatever blockbusters find their way to Shanghai's shelves this summer.