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Who is Liao Fan？ That would have been a challenging question for even the most ardent Chinese moviegoer two months ago. But now， as the first Chinese actor to win the Silver Bear award for Best Actor， Liao has become a household name across the country， thanks to his outstanding performance in the thriller film Black Coal， Thin Ice， directed by Diao Yinan. In addition， the film for which Liao earned his recognition also won the Golden Bear for Best Film.
Liao was crowned best actor at the 64th Berlin International Film Festival， or the Berlinale， held on February 6-16. On February 24， film production company Huayi Brothers Media Group held a party in Liao’s honor to celebrate his unprecedented success. yao Chen， one of Liao’s friends and a fellow film star， said that Liao’s award acts as important encouragement for all art film actors and actresses.
Supporting role start
Meng Jinghui， the well-known Chinese stage play director， congratulated his close friend Liao at the star-studded gathering. Liao’s first foray into acting began in a film directed by Meng.
In autumn of 2001， Meng released the independent movie Chicken Poets. The lowbudget art film’s production cost totaled less than 3 million yuan （$481，800）. Like most Chinese art films， Chicken Poets earned little at the box office and gained little attention. Liao was 27 years old when he made his debut in the film as a supporting actor.
Before 2001， Liao focused on stage plays. He was recruited as a drama actor by the Beijingbased National Theatre of China （NTC） after he graduated in 1997 from the Shanghai Theatre Academy， one of China’s most famed universities of the performing arts. At that time， Meng was a stage play director at the NTC， and the two often worked together on theater productions. In 2010， Liao joined Huayi Brothers， the largest private film production company in China.
“His future is unlimited. There is plenty of scope for him to develop his acting career，”Meng said.
The Silver Bear is not the first international film prize that has been awarded to Liao. In 2005， he won Best Actor at the 18th Singapore International Film Festival for his performance in the film Green Hat. And in 2008， he was nominated for best actor at the 45th Golden Horse Award for his performance in Ocean Flame.
However， it took time for Liao to become a wildly-known film star—perhaps due to his unique character. After graduation Liao immersed himself in stage plays while some of his schoolmates engaged in commercial film productions. In 1998， Liao played a supporting role in the popular youth idol series Cherish Our Love Forever， but did not rise to fame overnight like the Tv show did. In the following years， Liao acted in supporting roles on several other popular Tv series. Liao insisted on working in art films despite their low budgets and limited box office revenue. For some time， Liao was labeled as an art film actor who was cast in supporting roles. With poor sales in the Chinese market， art films rarely make it to theaters. While few moviegoers knew of Liao， he nonetheless developed his acting skills by working these low-key productions.
The actor finally scored a leading role in the film Green Hat （2004） directed by Liu Fendou. With the film， Liao earned his first Best Actor award in the18th Singapore International Film Festival even though the film failed in the domestic box office. Nevertheless， Liao had drawn the attention of commercial film directors and investors in China.
Eventually， Liao made a turning point in a domestic blockbuster Let the Bullets Fly （2010） which earned over 700 million yuan （$112.7 million） at the Chinese box office. The film was directed by Jiang Wen. Liao co-starred in the film， impressing audiences as a tough gunner. Then Liao joined Jackie Chan’s action movie CZ12 and further expanded his name in commercial films.
Back from Berlin
It was on the evening of February 15， the day after Liao’s 40th birthday， when he received the Silver Bear award. Liao said he had promised his mother he would win the award before departing for Berlin.
“I said that to make my mother happy. Actually， I was not so confident in winning the Silver Bear，” Liao said to Beijing Review after he came back to Beijing.
In Black Coal， Thin Ice， Liao’s portrayal of a police officer who tries to discover the truth of a series of mysterious murders is a divergence from his past roles. Liao gained 10 kg for the film， transforming himself from a muscle man to an aging ex-police officer. He said he identified with the difficulties and twists of life that the
character met with， allowing him to experience
a long overdue catharsis. Thus， the Silver Bear came at just the right time for Liao.
Despite heavy commercial ink， Liao didn’t think Black Coal， Thin Ice would cater to the tastes of average cinemagoers. The International Jury of Berlinale spoke highly of the artistic feature of the film， commenting，“Director Diao’s use of the characters of the expolice officer and the femme fatale is a direct reference to classic detective films. The director’s third feature is a noir thriller in drained colors which， whilst playfully alluding to the genre， also invites us into the lives of very ordinary people.”
As for his thoughts on being a budding film star， Liao is prudent. “I couldn’t say，” Liao smiled.
Today， China has become the second largest box office in the world. In 2013， total box office receipts reached 21.7 billion yuan （$3.5 billion） and domestic movies accounted for 60 percent of total earnings. However， the booming market is dominated by commercial films. Art films remain on the fringes of popular consumption. In particular， very few theaters screen independent films. The high praise of art films is quickly countered by their embarrassingly small profits. Black Coal， Thin Ice now has hit cinemas in China， but its ability to draw audiences is uncertain. Liao found his personal success through art films， but will the genre itself follow suit？
Liao was crowned best actor at the 64th Berlin International Film Festival， or the Berlinale， held on February 6-16. On February 24， film production company Huayi Brothers Media Group held a party in Liao’s honor to celebrate his unprecedented success. yao Chen， one of Liao’s friends and a fellow film star， said that Liao’s award acts as important encouragement for all art film actors and actresses.
Supporting role start
Meng Jinghui， the well-known Chinese stage play director， congratulated his close friend Liao at the star-studded gathering. Liao’s first foray into acting began in a film directed by Meng.
In autumn of 2001， Meng released the independent movie Chicken Poets. The lowbudget art film’s production cost totaled less than 3 million yuan （$481，800）. Like most Chinese art films， Chicken Poets earned little at the box office and gained little attention. Liao was 27 years old when he made his debut in the film as a supporting actor.
Before 2001， Liao focused on stage plays. He was recruited as a drama actor by the Beijingbased National Theatre of China （NTC） after he graduated in 1997 from the Shanghai Theatre Academy， one of China’s most famed universities of the performing arts. At that time， Meng was a stage play director at the NTC， and the two often worked together on theater productions. In 2010， Liao joined Huayi Brothers， the largest private film production company in China.
“His future is unlimited. There is plenty of scope for him to develop his acting career，”Meng said.
The Silver Bear is not the first international film prize that has been awarded to Liao. In 2005， he won Best Actor at the 18th Singapore International Film Festival for his performance in the film Green Hat. And in 2008， he was nominated for best actor at the 45th Golden Horse Award for his performance in Ocean Flame.
However， it took time for Liao to become a wildly-known film star—perhaps due to his unique character. After graduation Liao immersed himself in stage plays while some of his schoolmates engaged in commercial film productions. In 1998， Liao played a supporting role in the popular youth idol series Cherish Our Love Forever， but did not rise to fame overnight like the Tv show did. In the following years， Liao acted in supporting roles on several other popular Tv series. Liao insisted on working in art films despite their low budgets and limited box office revenue. For some time， Liao was labeled as an art film actor who was cast in supporting roles. With poor sales in the Chinese market， art films rarely make it to theaters. While few moviegoers knew of Liao， he nonetheless developed his acting skills by working these low-key productions.
The actor finally scored a leading role in the film Green Hat （2004） directed by Liu Fendou. With the film， Liao earned his first Best Actor award in the18th Singapore International Film Festival even though the film failed in the domestic box office. Nevertheless， Liao had drawn the attention of commercial film directors and investors in China.
Eventually， Liao made a turning point in a domestic blockbuster Let the Bullets Fly （2010） which earned over 700 million yuan （$112.7 million） at the Chinese box office. The film was directed by Jiang Wen. Liao co-starred in the film， impressing audiences as a tough gunner. Then Liao joined Jackie Chan’s action movie CZ12 and further expanded his name in commercial films.
Back from Berlin
It was on the evening of February 15， the day after Liao’s 40th birthday， when he received the Silver Bear award. Liao said he had promised his mother he would win the award before departing for Berlin.
“I said that to make my mother happy. Actually， I was not so confident in winning the Silver Bear，” Liao said to Beijing Review after he came back to Beijing.
In Black Coal， Thin Ice， Liao’s portrayal of a police officer who tries to discover the truth of a series of mysterious murders is a divergence from his past roles. Liao gained 10 kg for the film， transforming himself from a muscle man to an aging ex-police officer. He said he identified with the difficulties and twists of life that the
character met with， allowing him to experience
a long overdue catharsis. Thus， the Silver Bear came at just the right time for Liao.
Despite heavy commercial ink， Liao didn’t think Black Coal， Thin Ice would cater to the tastes of average cinemagoers. The International Jury of Berlinale spoke highly of the artistic feature of the film， commenting，“Director Diao’s use of the characters of the expolice officer and the femme fatale is a direct reference to classic detective films. The director’s third feature is a noir thriller in drained colors which， whilst playfully alluding to the genre， also invites us into the lives of very ordinary people.”
As for his thoughts on being a budding film star， Liao is prudent. “I couldn’t say，” Liao smiled.
Today， China has become the second largest box office in the world. In 2013， total box office receipts reached 21.7 billion yuan （$3.5 billion） and domestic movies accounted for 60 percent of total earnings. However， the booming market is dominated by commercial films. Art films remain on the fringes of popular consumption. In particular， very few theaters screen independent films. The high praise of art films is quickly countered by their embarrassingly small profits. Black Coal， Thin Ice now has hit cinemas in China， but its ability to draw audiences is uncertain. Liao found his personal success through art films， but will the genre itself follow suit？