A special movie screening took place at Bournemouth University (BU) to showcase the animated film ‘The Storm’ to students from the National Centre for Computer Animation.

Film poster for Chinese movie Da Yu

The Storm, or Da Yu in Mandarin, was released in February 2024 by CMC Pictures, one of China’s leading film distributors, with one of the exclusive screenings held at BU.

The film tells the story of the main character – Mantou – entering an ancient ship has appeared in the present day finding a number of lost souls within. After the screening at BU, the film’s director Sifan Bu took part in a Q&A hosted by NCCA PhD student Ying Chi, with BU students invited to ask questions about the film, while Sifan Bu shared his creative insights on how the movie was made.

Professor Xiaosong Yang, Deputy Head of the National Centre for Computer Animation, said, “It was a wonderful event and a great opportunity to bring our students together to show them some of the innovations of China’s film industry. We are grateful for the opportunity to share this marvellous animation work and show filmmaking from around the world.”

Students asking questions to film direction Sifan Bu

Students were invited to watch the film and participate in the Q&A as they explored animation techniques from different parts of the world and learned from filmmakers in China about their process.

For more information about Computer Animation at BU, visit the course pages of the BU website.

Students watching the film Da Yu in a cinema-style layout