From the “Meet the Filmmakers” series held in Feburary 2010 at the Apple Store in Sanlitun, Beijing. The series, co-presented by the Apple Store and dGenerate Films, is an ongoing series to showcase Chinas newest filmmakers powered by digital technology. Cui Zien is a director, film scholar, screenwriter, and novelist based in Beijing. He is an associate professor at the Beijing Film Academy. Cui Zien is a premiere avant-garde digital filmmaker in China. He has published nine novels in China and Hong Kong, and he is also the author of books on criticism and theory, as well as a columnist for magazines. Interview conducted by Jane Zheng. Videography by Michael Cheng. English transcription by Yuqian Yan. JZ: As we know, being a director is only one of your different roles. You are also a scholar, a novelist, and an activist. In the past several years, you became quite popular in the media. So my first question is, how you see your role as a director? CZE: I have different areas of focus in different periods. I first spent ten years focusing on my research, and the next ten years writing novels. In the past ten years, Ive been working on images as a way to express myself. JZ: So shall we say that being a director has become an important part of your life? CZE: Kind of. But I see myself more as an organizer than a director. Forming a film crew is almost like having a party with my friends. My role is to gather people for a big twenty-day party, like a party host. Everyone …