On the occasion of the 13th Beijing International Film Festival (BJIFF) on April 22, 2023, the Shining Cinema team from the Communication University of China, as annual event, screened barrier-free film Snipers for 60 students at the Beijing School for the Blind. 

　　

　　

　　Students at Beijing School for the Blind enjoying the film

The event was moderated by Cai Yu, a volunteer of the Shining Cinema team and a 2019 Ph.D. student in Radio and Television at the Communication University of China. Before the film was screened, she had cordial talks with the students, and briefly introduced the story outline and characters of the film to help the students better understand the plot and background. The film Snipers, set in the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea, tells the story of Chinese army volunteers fighting bravely against the U.S. military under the great disparity in military strength. 

During the screening, the students were immersed in the barrier-free narrations. They burst into tears when the soldiers die heroically, and cheered and applauded when the Chinese army wins. Through the barrier-free narration of the Shining Cinema, the students were deeply attracted by the charming and understood the great spirit reflected from the film. 

After the screening, the cinema was filled with applause. The visually impaired students said, "The peaceful days now are hard-earned. We need to develop a sense of responsibility to safeguard world peace and justice." Some students said to volunteers, "The spirit of volunteer army defending the motherland without fear of sacrifice deeply inspired me."

　　

　　Visually impaired students sharing feelings on the film

The public benefit activity highly coincides with the "One Film per Month" program of the Beijing School for the Blind started in 2021. Each month, the school screens to the students one barrier-free film by Shining Cinema, giving full play to the educational effects of the outstanding films, and guiding visually impaired students to strengthen their ideals and beliefs on patriotism. This activity was also highly appreciated at the China Literature and Art Report (CCTV) and aroused extensive social concern.

BJFIF is the first international film festival to list Shining Cinema as a fixed public benefit activity with an aim to build a broad platform for visually impaired people to enjoy international cultural events and effectively promote the cultural exchange of the whole society. In 2019, Shining Cinema made its debut at the BJIFF, on which visually impaired people were invited to enjoy barrier-free films in Beijing. In 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Shining Cinema was held online with a theme part of "Bright on the Cloud”; in 2021, some teachers and students entered the Beijing School for the Blind for public screening; in 2022, the Shining Cinema entered the grass-roots cultural centers to bring a feast of films from the BJIFF to visually impaired people in communities. From cinemas to the school for the blind and then to communities, the Shining Cinema, together with BJIFF, aims to promote public welfare and benefits the society and jointly make and share the great achievements of film culture.

　　

　　

　　BJIFF “Shining Cinema” Boosts Sharing of Cultural Achievements

The Shining Cinema program is a public welfare project for barrier-free film production and dissemination for visually impaired people launched by the Communication University of China in collaboration with Beijing Gehua CATV Network Co., Ltd. and Dongfang Jiaying Television Cinema Media Share Company. While building the “cultural sidewalk for the blind”, the project team has produced nearly 500 barrier-free films, and completed non-profit screenings and promotions in 31 provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities) and the Macao Special Administrative Region of China, covering 2,244 special education schools across the country. Meanwhile, the “China Radio and Television Shining Cinema Public Welfare VOD Zone" was already launched online, covering over 200 million households.

The Shining Cinema in the future will continue to work on the production and dissemination of barrier-free films, provide ideas and actions for the construction of the “cultural sidewalk for the blind” with Chinese characteristics, and contribute to serving social welfare, promoting cultural sharing, and building a strong cultural nation on the valuable and powerful platform of BJIFF.