His previous film, Beijing Bicycle (
"This is the first time that I was allowed to make a film in the system. And I immediately won an award. It's indeed a great encouragement for me and my way of filmmaking. I feel more comfortable now about my filmmaking style," Wang said.
"Me and my crew will definitely go for drinks later!" he added.
Shanghai Dreams is set partly in the 1960s, when city residents were encouraged to leave the cities and settle in the poorer regions of the country to help develop the local economy. Later, in the 1980s, many of these families tried to move back to the cities to cash in on the economic reforms transforming the coastal cities.
The film's protagonist is a 19-year-old girl living in Guizhou province. That's where she grew up, made friends and where she first experienced love. But her father believes that their future lies in Shanghai.
The story of the film is also Wang's childhood experience.
"I used to hate my parents for moving the family around. But now I feel grateful that they brought us out from Guizhou to Shanghai," Wang said.
While Hou failed to win yet again with his sixth entry in Cannes, another Taiwanese director managed to secure two minor awards.
In the festival's side event, International Critic's Week, director Ho Wei-ting (
Ho also won the TV5 Young Critic Award, which is selected by young critics and students. French Television TV5 offers an advertisement space to announce the winner.
Ho and his cinematographer Jake Pollack were very excited by the awards. "Though it's not the biggest award in the program, it's a very helpful prize for us," he said.
Ho is currently planning a feature-length film that he says will be a road movie filmed in Taiwan.
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