Movie Marathon
Annual film festival sets the stage for global cinema connections
On the evening of April 19, 150 spectators filled the seats at the sunken basketball court of Lang Park Vintage, a bustling cultural and creative park in Beijing, renovated from old warehouse clusters. They gathered for the open-air screening of the movie Post Truth.
One day earlier, the 14th Beijing International Film Festival (BJIFF) had kicked off, and this openair event quickly became a highlight for movie buffs attending the festival.
The movie tells the story of a cemetery plot salesman who dedicates himself to clearing the names of deceased clients tainted by online rumors. Released last year, the film was a commercial success, raking in approximately 700 million yuan ($97 million) at the box office.
Da Peng, the movie’s director, has witnessed the evolution of the annual festival firsthand. He covered the inaugural BJIFF in 2011 as a journalist. Later, he became a successful film director, with several box office hits under his belt. At this year’s festival, he was a project pitch judge. “Seeing this film aired outdoors at the Beijing Film Festival and embraced by so many fills me with immense joy,” he said during a post-screening dialogue with the audience. “My passion for filmmaking is as strong as ever.”
Throughout the nine-day festival, four other films also had theri open-air screenings at the park. Approximately 150 seats were available for each showing, with audiences able to book their free seats online in advance. All seats were booked out within two minutes.
Beijinger Wang Jingtao told Beijing Daily newspaper that he specifically drove to the park to catch an open-air screening, as it reminded him of the times he’d spent watching movies outdoors when he was younger.
Bom dia!
The BJIFF, held from April 18 to 26, showcased over 250 movies in theaters across Beijing and its neighboring regions of Tianjin Municipality and Hebei Province, offering a vibrant milieu and assorted stories. Moreover, more than 1,500 films from 118 countries and regions competed for the prestigious Tiantan Award, the festival’s top honor, this year. With over 200 cultural activities, the festival provided a dynamic stage for film lovers.
“The BJIFF has presented a wide range of genres, creating a veritable feast for us cinema enthusiasts,” a moviegoer surnamed Zhong told People’s Daily
newspaper. He said he’d purchased 10 tickets, several for films in languages less commonly imported to China. “The Chinese film market is expanding and audiences’ film preferences are diversifying,” he added.
The festival featured four Brazilian films, all showcasing cultural and regional diversity. Brazil is this year’s guest country of honor, in light of the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties between China and Brazil this year.
Cassius Rosa, Brazil’s Deputy Minister of Culture, underscored the big part cinema plays in fostering understanding and cultural exchange between countries. He noted that Brazil actively promotes Chinese films, particularly the kungfu, history and comedy genres, which are popular among Brazilian audiences. “This mutual exchange underscores the shared interest and appreciation between the two countries,” he told Global Times newspaper.
This year’s BJIFF launched a range of activities to enhance collaboration among global industry stakeholders. On April 23, for instance, it hosted a Finnish movie screening night, aimed at fostering collaboration and exchange between professionals from the Chinese and Finnish film industries.
The highlight of the event was the Finnish film Death Is a Problem for the Living, a poignant exploration of addiction, friendship and the unexpected journey of transporting the deceased to their final resting places. The film was nominated for the Tiantan Award for Best Picture.
“Death Is a Problem for the Living represents a remarkable achievement by Finnish filmmakers,” Soile Kauranen, deputy head of mission at the Finnish Embassy in Beijing, said at the event. “With its distinctive narrative and engaging characters, the film not only captivates audiences but also ignites meaningful discussions about the human condition.”
The movie walked away with the Tiantan awards for Best Music and Best Supporting Actor.
Also on April 23, the BJIFF unveiled a new initiative to promote cultural exchange between China and France, featuring over 20 distinguished French programs and Sino-French co-productions.
French director Thomas Lilti reminisced about his first visit to China in 2015, when his filmH ippocrates: Diary of a French Doctor was screened in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province in south China.
Now attending the 14th BJIFF with his comedy A Real Job, which was shortlisted for a Tiantan Award, Lilti expressed his excitement about future collaborations with Chinese filmmakers.
Power of AI
A standout feature of this year’s film festival was the introduction of the Artificial Intelligence-Generated Content (AIGC) Short Film Unit. This new segment highlighted the innovative use of AI technologies within the film industry and explored its impact on traditional cinematic storytelling.
The organizing committee received 430 submissions from around the world. Tang Junshu, the coordinator of this segment, noted that the younger generations are leading the way in AIGC creation. Roughly half of the new segment’s participants were in their 20s.
Their films ranged in length from one to 18 minutes, with 23 entries advancing to the final round of judging.
One notable entry was To Dear Me by AIGC artist Chen Liufang, a five-minute 30-second short film that took nearly three months to complete. It tells the coming-of-age story of a girl who has to navigate the challenges of a dysfunctional family and her personal flaws, ultimately learning to love herself.
Chen’s team used real actors to capture precise facial expressions and movements before transforming the footage into animated videos with the help of AI. Chen remained optimistic about AI’s potential in cinema, stating, “Can AI learn to perform on its own in the future? I view it with optimism and anticipation, but it will require a lot of training,” Chen told China Daily.
Hong Kong director Derek Hui, a judge at the festival’s Short Film Unit, shared how AI had been of assistance in his latest projects, noting that the technology can automate repetitive tasks, allowing filmmakers to focus more on the creative aspects of production.
Wang Changtian, President of Beijing-based Enlight Media, discussed the impact of AI on the industry at a BJIFF forum on April 21. He predicted competition in the film industry will only intensify with the rise of AI-enhanced productivity. “AI is essentially a technology that can serve as another tool for filmmakers,” he said. “However, AI-generated content, which often caters to popular aesthetics, might lack individuality and make unique aesthetic expressions rarer.”