By Dinah Cardin
Building 173 screens TODAY at PEM at 2 p.m.
The creators of the film BUILDING 173 have used animation to help tell the story of three quarters of a century of Shanghai history, all connected to one building. We tracked down writer and director Charlotte Mikkelborg to find out more about this unique film, which will screen at the Peabody Essex Museum.
Q: Building 173 is such a unique film. Where did the idea for the film come from?
A: I was living and working in this incredible city, Shanghai, as a foreign correspondent for the BBC. Every time I’d report on a story I’d feel like I was only able to cover a tiny fraction of the real story in the 2 minutes you’re given for a TV news spot.
China is SUCH a complex country. Even after four years reporting there I felt like I was only just beginning to get under its skin. Sure, you can cover the latest story on economic growth but it doesn’t mean much unless you’re able to put it in context of China’s communist past.
So I decided I wanted to make a longer film and started keeping an eye and ear to the ground for an incredible character, or a great angle that would enable me to tell China’s story. Then, I moved into this heritage building in the centre of downtown Shanghai.
I was the first foreigner to move in and I started to hear stories from the neighbours about things that had gone on in the building over the years. I researched what they were telling me and found that, not only was it all true, but there was much more.
Q: Has it been to many festivals? What has the audience feedback been like?
A: This will be the film’s 6th international festival. The audience feedback has been very positive. Everyone loves the animation that we used in the film as a tool for recreating some of the amazing events that have taken place within the building.
Within a year of opening, a murder had been committed in one of the apartments and that was just the beginning of the building’s tumultuous history. The only negative response has been from some younger Chinese who’ve watched the film. Understandably, the Chinese want to leave much of their recent history behind them and focus on the China of today.
Also, I think in many cases the younger generation weren’t told a great deal by their parents and grandparents about some of the terrible things that went on so there’s lack of education about what happened. The cultural revolution bread a culture of silence as even a seemingly harmless conversation with your neighbour could lead you to be branded as an enemy of the communist state.
Q: Do you think you’ve created a whole new kind of documentary that will influence documentary flimmaking?
A: I think to claim we’ve invented a whole new kind of documentary would be too bold but I think what we can say is that we tried to make sure this was not a tired history documentary.
We wanted the history of Building 173 to come alive, to use animation to recreate both heartwarming and murderous events that went on behind its doors, for the audience to feel like they were walking along its corridors. When I was researching the documentary, I was trying to get in touch with the original owners of the building.
When I found her, I also discovered she was married to non-other than the son of Shanghai’s most infamous gangster. That was quite a discovery and one that, of course, features in the film.
Q: What has been the reaction in China?
A: At first I was a little worried about how the Chinese government might react to the film so we tried to keep the release fairly low key in Shanghai with several smaller screenings — all of which sold out. Then, several Chinese television stations expressed interest in buying the film, which came as a positive surprise.
But it seemed they wanted to censor the film before broadcast so we decided not to sell to them. That said, I think it’s a fantastic move that the channels were interested in the first place. That already shows a much greater degree of openness than you’d have found just a few years ago. Also, China’s main documentary festival in Guangzhou GZDOC loved the film but in the end the festival programmer said they were not going to be able to play the film for reasons of censorship.
Q: What do you hope to hear from Salem audiences?
A: That they love the film as much as we loved making it and feel like they get to know the wonderful characters who were willing to share their stories with us.
We are thrilled that the film will be the first film ever of the Salem Film Festival to be invited to screen in the Peabody Essex Museum. Wish I could be there but I’ve recently given birth to twins which makes travelling a little trickier than it used to be.
