Yan Lei

Yan Lei

Yan Lei, born in Shanghai on October 29, 1979, is a male director and screenwriter in mainland China. He graduated from the Department of physics of Shanghai University in 2002 and majored in microelectronics. In 2005, he was selected as a supporting actor in the film kiss of Shanghai, which was shot in Shanghai by the Hollywood crew. Therefore, he experienced the working style of the American film industry and was attracted by the film industry After that, he studied in Beijing Film Academy and Shanghai Drama Academy.

In 2008, he wrote and directed his first (no dialogue) short film "R", which was shortlisted in the short film corner unit of Cannes International Film Festival in the same year; later, he wrote and directed his first experimental long film "flipping" in 2012, which won the nomination of best foreign language film and best screenplay of the first Spanish madry International Film Festival; in 2012, he wrote and directed short films《 In 2016, the screenwriter, director, producer and producer of the film "go home" won 27 awards and 55 nominations in 12 countries and 72 international film festivals, including best picture, best director and best screenplay.

Early experience

When he was admitted to microelectronics major of Shanghai University, Yan Lei got full marks in mathematics and physics. Seeing more about quantum mechanics and linear algebra, the literary and artistic cells in his body began to move. So Yan Lei spent his spare time in the library and read a lot of books about philosophy and film literature. Then, in 2005, the Hollywood crew came to Shanghai to shoot a romantic comedy kiss in Shanghai. As a result, Yan Lei, who can speak Mandarin and Shanghai, was shortlisted after many levels of screening. He played the leading actor's cousin in the film and Hollywood actor Ken ·In the interval of waiting, Yan Lei, who studies science, has a strong interest in on-site scheduling, lighting, lens setting, and even managing the crew and actor training. Long time accumulation of logic and immersion in literature made him quickly integrate into the tense atmosphere of film shooting; kiss in Shanghai was the first step for him to enter the film industry, and also made him have the idea of being a director for the first time.

Character experience

In 2008, he wrote, photographed, directed, edited, starred and produced the first short film R (without dialogue). Later in the same year, he won the best foreign language short film award of washougal International Film Festival in the United States and was incorporated into the short film corner unit of Cannes International Film Festival in the same year. in 2012, he wrote, photographed, directed, produced and edited the first experimental film "flipping". Since then, with this film, he has won the best foreign language film, best screenplay nomination and best actor nomination of the first Madrid International Film Festival in Spain, and won the excellent film award of theinefest independent film Festival in the same year. in 2013, the screenwriter, director, producer and editor completed the short film "help each other". Later, in 2014, the film won the best screenplay award of the new wave International Film Festival in Los Angeles, the best director award of the 2nd World Film Award, the outstanding film award of the Berlin International Film award in 2014, the best foreign language short film and the best director nomination of the 3rd Madrid International Film Festival in 2014 He was nominated for Best Screenplay at geff International Film Festival in New York, USA in 2014, and best foreign language short film at the first Portsmouth International Film Festival in UK in 2014. in 2016, he wrote, directed, produced and produced the film "going back". Since then, he won six New York Independent Film Awards in March 2017, including best film, best director, best screenplay, best actor, best photography and best editing. In April of the same year, he won the best original screenplay award at the New York International Film Festival, and in May he won the best original screenplay award There are five awards in Los Angeles Film Awards, including best film, best director, best photography, best actor and best supporting actor, and the best original screenplay award in nice International Film Festival. in 2018, he was selected as one of the 30 most noteworthy filmmakers in the world by the Los Angeles Film Awards Organizing Committee; in 2019, he won the best film, best screenwriter and best director awards of London Film Awards, and the best director award of Florence film award, Italy; the best original script and best foreign language film award of Menzhen International Film Festival, Japan; and the best foreign language film award of the United States Las Vegas best foreign language film, best screenplay, best director and other awards.

Main works

Character evaluation

Yan Lei is one of the 30 most noteworthy filmmakers in the world (commented by the Organizing Committee of the Los Angeles International Film Awards). Yan Lei is a very talented director and producer: "you only took 14 days to shoot a work like this. It's amazing!" (comments by Roberto, President of the New York International Film Festival) "at the beginning of the film return, you can feel that the director has integrated his soul into the work. The continuous transmission of performance and visual beauty in the lens moved and attracted me. Yan Lei is a gifted storyteller and a talented filmmaker. Great (review by the Los Angeles International Film Awards Organizing Committee) Yan Lei is different from other screenwriters and directors in that he pays more attention to reality, society and life. Moreover, his work "going back" is sensitive and profound. He can find a breakthrough from many social and family contradictions, which is finally reflected in the script and film. "The whole work is excellent and outstanding in terms of film structure. I was moved by young people's attention to life and felt that he was a young director with great development space. " (Xu Peng, former vice president of Shanghai Film (Group) Co., Ltd.) Yan Lei, with one of his high-quality films, is steadily moving forward step by step. His exquisite polishing of the original script, delicate presentation of the emotional expression of the characters, and accurate manipulation of the photographic images also make him stand out among a group of young directors. (China news online review)

Award winning record