Meet Xiaonan Hu | Screenwriter & Director

We had the good fortune of connecting with Xiaonan Hu and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Xiaonan, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
I feel that both art and religion are explorations of the ultimate questions of life, such as “What is our purpose in this world?”. Cinema is an art of “dream-making”, and I believe that the greatest films are those that can capture a dream-like quality. I also hope to become a ‘dream-maker’, using art to explore those ultimate questions of life.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.

The development of human civilization to this day owes greatly to one significant factor: our ability to tell stories. In life, everyone needs or is willing to tell various kinds of stories. What I think outsiders sometimes fail to realize is that, telling stories seems easy, but not everyone can write a script without training. Although I had studied a lot about screenwriting since college, I found that many things were not as simple as I thought once I actually got involved. I have also gone through painful times, but through continuous learning, in just three years, I have gone from a novice screenwriter to becoming one of the main screenwriters of the sci-fi blockbuster “Ball Lightning”. This movie is adapted from the novel of the same name by Liu Cixin, China’s most famous science fiction writer. The film includes numerous scenes set in Russia, and due to the outbreak of the Russo-Ukrainian War, the production is currently on hold. In addition to this, I also have some credited works in web series and online movies that have been broadcasted. I am very glad that I stepped out of my comfort zone and made the decision to switch to screenwriting.

I believe that my path to success lies in the many detours I’ve taken. I didn’t go straight to film school; for undergraduate, I studied Chinese Language and Literature, and for graduate school, I studied Cultural Studies in Hong Kong. After graduating, I didn’t directly enter the film industry, but worked for many years as a film journalist and critic. Sometimes I wonder what my career would be like now if I had gone directly into film back then. However, at times I feel that it is precisely these backgrounds in literature, cultural studies, and philosophy that have shaped who I am today, and my experience as a film critic has also allowed me to step out of the creator’s perspective and examine my scripts from another angle. These accumulations, which seem to be “detours”, have instead made me a unique film creator.

Ever since I was young, I’ve been someone with a spirit of adventure. In 2022, I gave up my networking in the Chinese film industry, took three suitcases and two cats, and came to UCLA Extension to study directing. Many friends thought this decision of mine was very brave. I remember before I decided to come to America, one friend said that when you have two paths in front of you, choose the harder one, which was very enlightening to me. It’s not easy for a screenwriter to give up writing in their mother tongue and choose to create in another language. It was challenging to leave behind my life in China, but this move allowed me to create in a new language and environment, culminating in the production of my English-language short film “How Are You”.

The story is about a depressed and unfulfilled screenwriter who meets some of the characters from his former works in real life at a bar. As a professional screenwriter, I have numerous scripts that never made it to the screen. Sometimes, I feel that the characters I’ve created may still be continuing their life journeys in their respective time and space. This inspired me to create this script, where each character in the short film is derived from scripts, I’ve written in the past but never brought to fruition.

For various reasons, we had to shoot 15 pages of script content within a single day（12 hours）. With the collective efforts and collaboration of the entire crew, I am proud that we accomplished a mission impossible. However, it also taught me a valuable lesson: never attempt to shoot 15 pages in one day again!

Recently I was deeply moved by the words of Alejandro Jodorowsky in the documentary Jodorowsky’s Dune: “Have the greatest ambition possible. You want to be immortal? Fight to be immortal. Do it. You want to make the most fantastic art of a movie? Try. If you fail, it’s not important.” I am currently striving to realize my dream.

Due to China’s vast film market, many excellent films can achieve high box office revenues domestically and do not really need the overseas market. Additionally, due to censorship restrictions, it might become difficult for Chinese films to reach a global audience. On the other hand, the understanding of China by many Western viewers and filmmakers is based on an Orientalist imagination. It’s like the feeling that the TCL Chinese Theatre gives me; it’s like Chinese style, but not entirely. Coming from a Chinese cultural background, I have a deep love for the unique history and culture belonging to this land. I hope to become a cultural bridge, able to produce some films that include Chinese culture on this side, to better introduce them to an international audience.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I really admire the spirit of freedom and adventure in American culture. If my best friend were visiting, I might take him/her on a road trip along Route 66, listening to Bob Dylan’s songs, driving all the way from Los Angeles to Chicago. Of course, I’d have to learn how to drive first…

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
In 2016, I joined the company of director Chen Sicheng as a publicity manager, responsible for his personal and project publicity. He is one of China’s top film directors, with his directed works having a box office record of over 10 billion RMB. I was originally an art film enthusiast, but in the process of working with him, I learned a lot about the key elements of commercial film success. I have always wanted to become a film creator, and I proved my screenwriting abilities by writing scripts, which also convinced him to agree to let me transition from publicity to screenwriting, thus embarking on the path of professional screenwriting development. Here, I would like to express my gratitude to Director Chen Sicheng for the opportunity he gave me. The years I spent working with him allowed me the chance to be involved in the entire process of top commercial blockbusters, from script development to filming and post-production, which has been immensely beneficial to my growth as both a screenwriter and a director.

Instagram: mformonica

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/xiaona n-hu-250b02252/

Other: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm8793889/