Legendary Chinese director Zhang Yimou urged young filmmakers to embrace the relentless advance of artificial intelligence, warning that while the technology poses a severe challenge to traditional cinema, it will ultimately democratize the art of storytelling.
Speaking Saturday at the 39th Golden Rooster Awards during the festival's international dialogue in the coastal city of Xiamen, the acclaimed director of "Hero" and "Raise the Red Lantern" discussed the rapidly evolving role of AI in the visual arts as part of a panel on telling Chinese stories to global audiences.
Zhang, who is currently preparing a highly anticipated film adaptation of Liu Cixin's sci-fi epic "The Three-Body Problem," described AI as both an excellent tool and a source of intense pressure for the film industry. Unlike physical, live-performance arts such as theater, opera, and concerts, the director noted, the virtual, image-based medium of cinema is uniquely vulnerable to digital disruption.
"In my golden era of filmmaking, directors did not face these kinds of challenges," Zhang said, referring to a past when filmmakers only needed to focus on telling a good story. By contrast, today's young directors must navigate a completely new landscape.
He observed that audiences in transit, particularly at high-speed rail stations and airports, are increasingly absorbed in short-form, AI-generated videos and micro-dramas. This free, highly accessible digital content, which has grown into an industry worth tens of billions of yuan, is aggressively competing for consumers' time and reducing the incentive to visit cinemas.
"When audiences can watch AI-made short videos for free, and sometimes even get virtual red envelopes or rewards just for watching, while getting endless instant feedback, why would they go to the theater?" Zhang asked. "This is a truly massive challenge."
While Zhang acknowledged that the emotional nuance and subtle performance of human actors remain beyond the capabilities of current AI, he warned that technological iteration is moving so fast that it could blur the lines between real and generated performances within three to five years.
This rapid evolution raises difficult questions for the industry. Zhang wondered aloud whether future movie theaters and film festivals would accept high-quality, AI-generated films, or whether the industry could successfully defend traditional, human-crafted cinema.
Despite these challenges, Zhang sees a silver lining in the technological leap, predicting it will act as a grand equalizer.
"Film may no longer be an elite art," Zhang said, suggesting that the day is coming when ordinary people can assume the roles of directors and screenwriters, using AI to give voice to their own visual narratives.
For his adaptation of "The Three-Body Problem," Zhang has assembled a specialized AI team of more than 10 designers born in the 1990s to assist with the film's complex visual development. Despite compiling around 400,000 audience comments to guide his vision of the dense, philosophical sci-fi epic, Zhang emphasized that new tools must not overshadow basic craftsmanship. He noted that the ultimate focus of the production remains firmly on the script and on telling an emotionally resonant story.
To help navigate this uncertain future, Zhang advised the next generation of filmmakers to focus on their personal growth, self-improvement, and authentic storytelling. He urged them to hold onto their original aspirations and share the stories they understand and feel most deeply, calling this "probably the only thing you can do."
