Chinese filmmaker Zhigang Yang, also known as Busifan, brought his latest film The Storm to the prestigious Annecy Film Festival, where it was featured in the Competition section for Feature Films. This one-hour 42-minute masterpiece utilises traditional Chinese ink art to weave a captivating narrative, featuring a charming young boy, horse-riding soldiers, mysterious creatures, magical objects, and talking spirits.
Busifan’s inspiration for The Storm draws deeply from his childhood memories of exploring mountains and streams. Witnessing both the growth of infrastructure and the consequential environmental degradation as he grew older profoundly influenced his perspective. “To me, the storm represents the wrath of nature but washes away the waste, returning everything to its original state. This belief is the inspiration behind The Storm’,” Busifan told AnimationXpress in an interview at the film festival.
Elaborating on the distinct animation technique used in the film, Busifan said, “Since the ink style is traditional, the key is to adapt it with the latest animation techniques.” But it’s not as easy as it sounds. The director and his team carried out multiple experiments and spent lots of time before zeroing in on a style they thought worked best for the film.
His team comprises only 30 artists, so he had to collaborate with other studios and friends from the industry for parts of the feature film. “We want to try out a lot of things, and the other studios work very differently, so the challenge was to understand what they want, communicate our vision, and make sure they believe in the same,” he shared.
Although Busifan has previously been to screenings in China, it is his first time experiencing a screening at the Annecy Film Festival. “I took a while to understand the traditions here, like the paper planes throwing,” he laughed, referring to the audience’s practice of making paper planes and flying them in the theatre before a movie begins. “I am familiar with the local audience’s reception to my film, so I was curious about how my work will be received outside China. But it is exciting and refreshing to be here.”
The Storm is already running in cinemas in China, and his team is in talks with distributors for an international release.
He signed off by saying, “At Annecy, it’s impressive how people can just purely enjoy animation. This is an unforgettable experience. The festival is like a dream world, a utopia of sorts for all animators and artists.”
The Storm is written and directed by Busifan. It is produced by Busifan and China’s CMC Pictures, and distributed by Play Big – Ahaverse.
