My heart will go on

Looking back, perhaps it all started in 1997, when I was 17 years old. If it weren't for that movie, my life might have been completely different. According to my father's plan, I should be like him, and become a teacher after entering university. However, before the university entrance examination, I saw "Titanic" - foreign-language movies were still rare in China at that time, and the shocking pictures and storyline made me understand that movies could be so powerful. At that moment, I made a decision for my life for the first time: I would go to the Beijing Film Academy and become a filmmaker.

Since then, I have been in the film industry for a full 20 years. Until the outbreak of the COVID-19, which changed the whole world, my life trajectory also changed. I came to Vancouver and re-entered adult high school. The teacher asked me what my dream was, and I answered without hesitation: "I love movies the most." They encouraged me to shoot a documentary for the school and mentioned that the Vancouver Film School was the best film school in Canada. At that time, I was not good at English and was old, and my heart was full of doubts. I felt that I could not realize this dream. But the teachers kept encouraging me, and I quickly completed all the credits. They even wrote letters of recommendation for me.

I never thought that I would be able to enter the Vancouver Film School one day and continue to pursue my dreams. Every teacher and classmate gave me endless support and encouragement, helping me to persevere until today. When I first re-engraved a short film, I chose "Titanic". Although our team members come from different countries and English is not our native language, we used the language of the lens to tell this classic story to the world. At the end of the short film, the whole audience applauded the film. At that moment, I understood: movies have no borders and no language restrictions. Through this filming, I pay deep respect to the movie that once led me to this path - and my original intention for movies.

Vancouver Film School, like "Titanic", has become an important starting point in my life. In "Titanic", Rose jumped into the sea without hesitation to follow her true love. She would rather die with Jack in the cold sea. When I saw this, I couldn't help but burst into tears in the cinema. This movie not only shaped my understanding of love, but also shaped my view of life. Being with true love is a choice, and it is worth sacrificing for it. What are the daily difficulties? The love we all have for movies transcends all language barriers and national boundaries.

From the time I fell in love with movies at the age of 17 because of "Titanic" to the time I am 44 now, I have spent half my life loving this art. I know that loving movies means not only glory and prosperity, but also dedication and sacrifice. But even so, I will still jump into the cold sea again and again without regrets, just because this love is worth my investment, no matter what the result is.

True love lasts forever.