Fan Bingbing Critiques AI Microdramas at Busan Film Festival

During a press conference at the Busan International Film Festival, Fan Bingbing expressed skepticism regarding the rise of AI-generated microdramas in China. While she admitted to watching the short-form content occasionally, she argued that it lacks the artistic depth required to properly nourish younger viewers.

“I feel that young people in China aren’t being fed very well,” Fan stated, drawing a contrast between algorithmic content and the emotional richness found in traditional human performance. She cited director Lee Chang-dong’s film “Possible Love” as an example, noting that the nuanced emotions and expressions delivered by actors cannot be replicated by artificial intelligence.

Fan attended the festival for her third time, where she presented Wayne Wang’s “Diary of a Mad Old Man” in the A Window on Asian Cinema strand. She also introduced Ivan Tan’s short film “She Said,” which held its world premiere in the Wide Angle section’s Asian Short Film Competition.

Additionally, Fan participated in a special talk following a screening of Park Chan-wook’s “The Handmaiden,” selected for the festival’s Carte Blanche program. She recalled discovering the film a decade prior when it was unavailable in China, stating that its impact on her has remained powerful over the years. Recalling their time together on the 2017 Cannes jury, she described Park as courteous yet incisive in his observations, adding that she would welcome the chance to collaborate with him.

Reflecting on her three-decade career, Fan placed her work within the broader context of Asian cinema’s global emergence. She emphasized that actors of her generation in China adhere to high internal standards and view themselves as a bridge between past and future legacies.

Fan, who largely vanished from Chinese screens following a 2018 tax evasion case, has since built an international profile, winning the Golden Horse award for best leading actress for the Malaysian drama “Mother Bhumi” and starring in the Korean feature “Green Night.” She joked that professional constraints had “forced” her out of a fixed screen image, but expressed gratitude for the unexpected roles that followed. “Following the storyline that fate gives me, and doing justice to my abilities as an actor, is already a source of happiness,” she said.