US filmmaker to direct amateur spring gala

A Chinese American filmmaker will direct the 2010 Shanzhai (copycat) Spring Festival Gala Party, but will not be paid for his work, the show's producer said yesterday.

Chen Siyu, a 67-year-old director who owns an independent film studio in Los Angeles, will help to make a "professional and exceptional" gala compared with its debut last year, Shi Mengqi, organizer of the event, told METRO yesterday.

"We have looked for an ideal director for a very long time and sent letters to many domestic directors, but they either declined or never replied, until a friend introduced me to Chen Siyu," Shi said.