The latest edition of Advanced Media’s CINESchool served as a convergence point for aspiring filmmakers, industry mentors and global cinematic perspectives. We bring you the highlights.
If films transcend borders, so does filmmaking. Exemplifying this spirit was the second edition of Advanced Media’s CINESchool, led by award-winning Chinese filmmaker Ran Li and Czech cinematographer Thomas Krivy. In attendance were 50-plus film students from prominent UAE universities such as SAE Institute, University of Wollongong, Amity University, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Higher Colleges of Technology, Zayed University and NYU Abu Dhabi.
The biannual digital cinema series is held in collaboration with the Prague Film School, of which both Krivy and Li are alumni. The three-day workshop, featuring a praxis-heavy curriculum, ran from October 15-17 at Advanced Media’s premises in Dubai. Advanced Media launched its CINESchool series in 2023 with the goal of providing aspiring filmmakers with the opportunity to refine their craft under the guidance of internationally acclaimed experts. Participants are also given the opportunity to work with professional camera, light and sound setups.
“By bringing together global mentors like Ran Li and Thomas Krivy with passionate UAE-based students, CINESchool nurtures a new generation of filmmakers who think beyond boundaries,” says Pooyan Farnam, Marketing Manager, Advanced Media. “Every edition of CINESchool reinforces our commitment to empowering creative voices through hands-on learning and real-world industry insight.”
Li’s first appearance at CINESchool was doubly meaningful. As its first female instructor, she symbolises the increasing presence and mastery of women in filmmaking. She is also an example of how the craft has the ability to break through all kinds of barriers – geographic, linguistic, cultural and creative.
Her unconventional career path made her the ideal voice to lead the ‘Launching Your Feature Film Career’ session. The Chinese filmmaker has a degree in International Trade Law, and upon graduation was awarded a scholarship in Europe to pursue a master’s degree in law. During her time in Amsterdam, Li discovered that her real calling lay in film.
“I realised that I wanted to express myself using film as a medium. I didn’t go to any film school at the time. I just started learning from YouTube.” Li made a two-episode documentary that she entered in student film festivals. “The documentary followed the day of my Dutch friend, who was a stand-up comedian. It was very well received at the festivals.”
Encouraged by this first success, she decided to pursue fiction filmmaking. “I knew this sort of filmmaking would require education, so I applied to the Prague Film School in 2014.” A year later she graduated with Best Directing and Best Scriptwriting awards for her diploma film Lucie, which she screened at the event. A coming-of-age drama, the film traces the experiences across 24 hours of a teenage girl who steals her boyfriend’s motorcycle.
“Lucie opened so many doors for me. It was screened in over 60 film festivals and paved the way for me into professional direction,” says Li. In 2016 she decided to move back to China, where she used her short film to attend festivals and network. “By then, I felt I was ready for my first feature film, so I started writing the script for Till Love Do Us Part.”
Authentic storytelling is Li’s forte. “I’m obsessed with capturing slices of everyday life. Films have arc plots and minute plots. I am a minute plotter. I like being able to expand tiny fractions of feelings or emotions into something larger. I didn’t consciously know this at the time, but later realised that it was the reality of the scenes that really impressed people.”
Her films are also an example of how language is not a barrier in filmmaking. “Till Love Do Us Part is a Czech film, but I wrote it in English. The actors just translated it,” she says candidly. Li’s background also enables her to maintain an “international flavour” in her productions. “They are not for everybody, though. My films resonate with people who have had some sort of global exposure, but some people don’t understand what motivates my characters. Either way, it encourages discussion.”
Despite her successes, Li feels that self-expression is a luxury. “To be able to make your own film, send your message from script to screen, is extremely luxurious.” While most filmmakers are driven by passion, monetary considerations do steer the path. “I had been working on my first feature film since 2016, but it came out only in 2020. I had to raise money for each stage: production, post-production and release.” To raise funds for her dream project, Ran Li took up diverse jobs. “I worked as an English teacher when I first returned to China. I also made a few short films in Mandarin and TV commercials.”
On the creative side, capturing audience attention remains a challenge, especially in the Chinese market where short-form videos dominate. “In China, the viewers love TikTok. It’s very hard to get their attention for longer forms. When I released my film, I wasn’t competing with other films. I was competing with media platforms like TikTok for people’s attention.”
Given the limited attention spans of today’s viewers, Li emphasises remaining in the public eye at all times. “I was anti-social media, but then I realised how important it is to be seen. Now I film my experiences for my social media accounts – just candid behind-the-scenes shots and small glimpses of my day.”
These experiences were the perfect backdrops for Li’s sessions on ‘The Short Film Journey: From Script to Screen’ and ‘Getting Seen: Festival Strategy and Distribution’. Her parting advice to budding filmmakers: “Don’t keep waiting for the right time, the perfect script, the right state of mind, the best team. These will never happen together. There’s only one right time, and that is now.”
Cinematography with Krivy
Veteran cinematographer Thomas Krivy, a long-time instructor at PFS, returned to Dubai for his second CINESchool edition. Known for his work across narrative features, documentaries, commercials and music videos, he brings decades of practical expertise to his teaching.
Over the years, he has seen several generations of filmmakers pass through the Prague Film School. Despite the onslaught of digital media and formats, a surprising number of students still gravitate towards the classics, he observes. “For them, there is a sense of novelty in the 35mm format where the results are not available instantly. They are very keen to get hands-on experience on that kind of equipment.”
At this year’s CINESchool, Krivy dealt with topics such as exposure and colour, finding the right lens, and lighting and grid. “The students here are very enthusiastic about filmmaking. They are purely driven by passion, which is the most important thing for me.” His sessions include both theoretical and practical learning. “After the theory session, I demonstrate the concepts to them on the camera with sliders and ND filters. They also do a bit of spot metering and use macro lenses for split-field diopters.”
He feels the greatest challenge for today’s filmmakers is technique. “Students have too much exposure, and they get carried away in finding the best technique. They lose focus on what is in front of the camera. The real world doesn’t work like this. You have to be fast and efficient, or you lose out on the momentum that has been built in the shot. Getting the right shot is more about timing than technique.”
