At 2:00 on September 25th, Stockholm time, the "Second International Symposium on Film Culture of the International Institute of Film Science and Arts" was successfully held online. Professor Ian Conrich from Stockholm University and Professor Liang Yanli from the Department of Chinese Language and Literature at Fudan University were invited to give keynote speeches. They respectively started with Western films on the South China Sea theme and Chinese AI myth micro-short dramas, and conducted in-depth sharing around the core topic of "Media and Cultural Expression", presenting an academic dialogue across regions and media for global participants.

Armchair Travel" on the Silver Screen: The Wonders and Limitations of Western Exotic Narrative

Professor Ian Conrich, with the theme "Island Films as 'Armchair Travel': The South China Sea Islands and Cinema of Attraction," first expanded on the concept of "armchair travel," pointing out that it not only includes experiencing distant places at home through books, stereoscopes, etc., but also covers scenarios such as visiting local museums and world expositions. Then, taking South Sea Adventure (1958) and Mutiny on the Bounty(1962) as examples, he analyzed how films on South China Sea themes, through technical spectacles, narrative packaging, and cross-media collaboration, trap audiences in "armchair" - style virtual travel. At the same time, he revealed that while spreading Western myths about the South China Sea, such films have the problem of colonialist portrayal of indigenous peoples' images.

Taking the 1958 film South Sea Adventure and the 1962 film Mutiny on the Bounty as typical case studies, Professor Conrich revealed the "attraction narrative" strategy of such films: The former employed Cinerama wide-screen technology, using three projectors to cast a 146-degree curved image, and transported the audience to the South China Sea through the visual spectacle of waves crashing against reefs; the latter invested significant time and effort in creating a full-scale replica of the "Bounty" that was identical to the original ship, which was built in Canada and sailed around the world for promotional purposes, enhancing the sense of immersion through "historical authenticity." However, he also pointed out that such works have significant limitations—while positioning the audience as "modern explorers," the images of indigenous peoples are anonymized and homogenized, reduced to background symbols, implicitly carrying a colonial narrative tendency centered on Western centrism.

AI Empowers Myth Propagation: Modern Expression of Chinese Cultural Genes

Professor Liang Yanli from the Department of Chinese Language and Literature at Fudan University, with the topic "Cultural Genes in Mythological Stories: A Case Study of the Micro-series 'Chinese Myths'", focused on the path of visual transformation of traditional culture empowered by AI technology. She put forward a core viewpoint: cultural genes, like biological genes, have both dominant and recessive dimensions, and possess the characteristics of intergenerational transmission and integration. The six-episode micro-series such as "Mending the Sky" and "Chasing the Sun" have constructed a unique yet universal map of Chinese cultural genes through the narration of ancient myths.

Professor Liang elaborated on the specific analysis from four major dimensions: In the ecological dimension, the narratives of Nüwa mending the sky to restore the order of heaven and earth, and Kuafu chasing the sun to explore the laws of nature, visualize the thought of "harmony between man and nature" and implicitly contain a contemporary warning about reverence for nature and ecological protection; In the ethical dimension, Nüwa's image as the primal mother and the family ties reflected in Da Yu's story of "passing his home three times without entering" while controlling the floods, make myths carry the cultural core of valuing family affection and emphasizing ethics; In the spiritual dimension, the images of Nüwa sacrificing herself to mend the sky and Da Yu persisting in controlling the floods demonstrate the responsible trait of "sacrificing the self for the greater good" and have become spiritual totems of unremitting self-improvement; In the temporal and spatial dimension, the short drama, through the associated narratives of Kuafu chasing the sun and the "Kuafu-1" satellite, as well as Shennong tasting hundreds of herbs and the discovery of artemisinin, interprets the transcendent perspective that "the past, present, and future are a continuum, and heaven, earth, and man are an integrated whole".

When talking about the value of technology, Professor Liang particularly emphasized that the full-process AI production has injected new vitality into mythological images: the visual spectacle of the integration of virtual and real created by it has broken through the boundaries of imagination in traditional creation, while significantly reducing production costs, providing an efficient and innovative path for the modern expression of traditional culture.

This seminar, through a dialogue between two scholars from the East and the West, not only showcased the diverse perspectives in film and cultural studies but also revealed the dual role of media technology in cultural communication—it is both a tool for constructing spectacles and a carrier for the inheritance of genes. As an important exchange platform in the field of international film and cultural studies, the seminar provided new ideas and directions for the integration of tradition and modernity, as well as technology and humanity.