Fan Bingbing Says Young Chinese Audiences ‘Aren’t Being Fed Very Well’ as AI Microdramas Boom

She’s just not convinced they’re doing China’s young audiences any good. The Chinese star made the remarks at a Busan International Film Festival press conference, where she presented Wayne Wang’s “Diary of a Mad Old Man,” screening in the A Window on Asian Cinema strand, and Ivan Tan’s short “She Said,” which world premiered in the Wide Angle section’s Asian Short Film Competition. It’s her third visit to the festival.

Pointing to the popularity of AI-generated microdramas in China, Fan questioned whether they offered younger viewers the artistic nourishment she had found in cinema. Fan pointed to Lee Chang-dong’s “Possible Love.” “Human performances contain so many emotions and expressions,” she said. Because it had never been released in China, I had to make a special effort to find a way to see it,” she said.

Though he spoke sparingly, she said, “His observations were incisive.” Fan added that she would be delighted to work with him if the opportunity arose. Reflecting during the talk on what has sustained her commitment to acting over three decades, Fan placed her career within the wider development of Asian cinema, which she said had found its place and voice over the past two decades. We have a responsibility to carry that legacy forward, and we hope to be remembered ourselves.” Fan described her belief in “yuanfen,” the Chinese concept of affinity or connection shaped by fate.

She has since worked outside China, winning the Golden Horse best leading actress award for Malaysian drama “Mother Bhumi” and starring in Korean-language feature “Green Night.” Fan joked that she had been “forced” to adapt as her work took her beyond a fixed screen image and across languages, though she said she was grateful for the pressures that had led her toward unexpected roles.