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62 || FASHION MAGAZINE || FEBRUARY 2015e are excited to have the opportunity to talk with Hu Wei, award winning director and screenwriter. Hu Wei is an only child, born in the %u201980%u2019s under China%u2019s %u2018One Child Policy%u2019. He studied in Paris with his parents%u2019 support and encouragement He is the only in his family that is in the arts industry. So it would be fair to say he is wholly responsible for his great talents. He attended Ecole Nationale Superieurd des Beaus-Arts where he studied plastic art. He also studied at Le Fresnoy which is a national art studio, similar to a higher art research institution. Wei said at Le Fresnoy there is more of an emphasis on artistry, conceptuality and originality of artists%u2019 work. Wei feels that all forms of art have their own language. He continues to draw as it is a part of his life. He does not have a preference to any on of his artistic talents, and said %u201cthe important thing is expression.%u201d Film is multi dimensional which paintings or sculptures can not represent. And conversely film or imagery can not represent the texture of oil paintings nor the feel of sculpted materials. Wei%u2019s short film, Butter Lamp, is only his 3rd film yet has proven to be hugely successful, receiving 70 awards. Butter Lamp is fiction, yet has only one professional actor. The film is about a photographer who discovers Tibetan nomads and photographs them in font of various scenic backdrops. All of the Tibetan nomads in the film are indigenous people, none of them had any acting experience. Wei said it was very difficult to find Tibetan people to participate. He said they take precautions when dealing with the Han Chinese as a result of long standing trust issues. Another reason they had trouble finding people to participate was they filmed in the summer, which is the time most Tibetans are searching for the expensive caterpillar fungus used in traditional Chinese medicine. Also the filming was done without any official permission, which created difficulties and obstacles. Filming %u201coutside the system%u201d Wei stated was challenging %u201cespecially in a place as sensitive as Tibet.%u201d%u2018Butter Lamp%u2019 wins 70 prestigious film awardsDirectorHU WEI%u2019SW>>>>>By: Kelly Price