BJIFF Aims to Be One of World’s Top Three Film Festivals

　　The 5th Beijing International Film Festival (BJIFF), which is characterized by a higher international level, will be opened on April 16. In China where the film box-office keeps breaking record, BJIFF is attracting greater world attention with its unique features.

　　In the past four years, BJIFF has experienced a development process of high-level starting, leapfrog improvement and keeping in line with the international level, and formed its own unique 3M orientation and style (Master, Mass, Market), which becomes an important symbol to distinguish itself from other international festivals. The “international level” has now been a major objective of BJIFF, and the Organizing Committee has given themselves three to five years to make the BJIFF the top film festival in Asia, on a level with the Cannes International Film Festival in Europe and Toronto International Film Festival in America, and ranking among the world’s top three film festivals.

　　Gathering Filmmakers and Masterpieces throughout the World Since the “Tiantan Award” Competition Section was introduced at the 3rd BJIFF, Nikita Mikhalkov and John Woo have been respectively invited to be president of the “Tiantan Award” International Jury. They led Cameron Bailey, Philippe Muyl, Je-gyu Kang, Gu Changwei, Lu Chuan and other members in selecting such outstanding films as The Grandmaster and Attila Marcel. Up to 2,200 screenings of more than 1,100 Chinese and foreign films have been provided in the capital and its neighboring provinces and cities. They mainly include films that are not on in China, some of which are award-winning films at famous international film festivals in recent years, bringing the world’s best films within the reach of the audience. A total of 13 theme forums on the forefront of the film industry and on hot topics have been organized, and over 80 renowned filmmakers, including James Cameron, Oliver Stone, Jean Jacques Annaud, Peter Chan, Jean Reno, Keanu Reeves and Han Sanping, have been invited to share their experience.

　　The 5th BJIFF which will be organized soon makes a new breakthrough in attendees of international master filmmakers. Luc Besson is invited to be president of the International Jury, and other members are all world-renowned directors, screenwriters, actors and actress. Marco Mueller who had been President of Venice International Film Festival for eight times is appointed general advisor of the 5th BJIFF, and 15 presidents and directors of other famous film festivals are invited to attend the event. A total of 930 films from 90 countries and regions, including 808 foreign films and 122 domestic ones, are registered for the “Tiantan Award” Competition Section. Among them, 45 from abroad are making their international debut in China. A total of 1,531 films from 103 countries and regions are registered for Beijing Film Panorama, including 21 winning awards of international A-class film festivals and Academy Award. Following the trend of international film festivals and upgrading Documentary Sector, the Out-of-Competition Section is in parallel with BJIFF’s seven major activities including “Tiantan Award” competition and Beijing Film Panorama in scale and degree of recognition.

　　Establishing a Large International Market System Starting from the 3rd BJIFF, the Film Negotiation which had been held in the two previous film festivals was renamed Film Market. A sustainable platform providing various services has been established, the quantity and quality of the Film Market has been improved comprehensively, and a film market system with unique features has been gradually formed. The previous four film festivals have seen contracts signed for 80 projects and the total trade volume reach RMB27.319 billion, setting a record for Chinese film festivals for consecutive years. The 4th BJIFF set up two major platforms for professional trade, 724 film companies and institutions from 24 countries and regions participated in Film Market activities, and the number of foreign exhibitors outnumbered that of Chinese exhibitors for the first time.

　　Best characterized by a high international level, the Beijing Film Market of the 5th BJIFF adopts a “system centering on film production companies” by learning world-renowned film festivals’ experience that both buyers and sellers mainly rely on production companies, and the scale has been further expanded. Among the exhibitors, those from foreign countries and regions account for about 50%, and the contract value is expected to reach RMB11 billion. Registered exhibitors and guests come from over 30 countries in Asia, Europe, America, Oceania and Africa. The BJIFF also makes a new breakthrough in cooperation with world-famous film institutions. It grants the New Chinese Film Talents Fund Award jointly with the Cannes International Film Festival. The award-winning projects will have direct access to the film market of the 68th Cannes International Film Festival. In cooperation with the Motion Picture Association (MPA), it offers the MPA-Beijing Film Market Film Workshop and the “MPA Grand Prize”. The winners will join a study tour with fund provided by MPA. BJIFF will also cooperate with the CentEast Market Warsaw in promoting three films of Central and Eastern Europe and the film workshop of Warsaw Film Festival President Stefan Laudyn.

　　Sino-foreign Film Co-production Making a Splash on the International Market Since the launch of BJIFF, it has put “Sino-foreign Film Co-production” high on the agenda. After the 1st BJIFF set the sub-forum on “China-Europe Film Co-production” under the forum of “Film Magic-Beijing Forum”, each of the following editions of Beijing Forum has set “Sino-foreign Film Co-production Forum”, including conversations and negotiations on Sino-foreign film co-production. Beijing Film Market “Industry Conversations” tend to focus on hot topics and real cases in Sino-foreign film coproduction, functioning as a platform for filmmakers from across the world to share their experiences and outlooks for the future. Over the past four years, contracts were signed on the spot on Sino-foreign co-production of such projects as Wolf Totem and Warrior’s Gate. We have implemented these projects one after another, making brilliant achievements along the way. In recent years, the film community sees frequent cross-national cooperation. More and more co-produced films have come into the audience’s view. BJIFF has contributed to the intention of cooperation reached on many film projects, and has witnessed the birth and growth of numerous excellent films.

　　Drawing on the International Film Festival Organizing Mode 

　　Since the inception of BJIFF, it has got hitched with major international film festivals at the high end. Over the past four years, the cooperation between BJIFF and other international film festivals keeps deepening. Prior to the 5th BJIFF, grand promotions were conducted at Toronto and Busan International Film Festivals. Moreover, an initial intention of cooperation has been reached between BJIFF with its sister event Gwangju Film Festival. For the first time ever, BJIFF has Italian famous film critic, historian, film history documentary director and screenwriter Marco Muller as the Chief Adviser. Muller ever acted as President of the Jury or Venice Film Festival and that for International Film Festival of Rome. This is a historic move marking BJIFF has embarked on the road of internationalization and professionalization, so the Festival is set to attract even more top-notch films to the Exhibition.

　　Drawing on the organizing mode of international first-class film festivals, BJIFF is increasingly mature in organization and operation. BJIFF keeps bringing in high-end enterprises for strategic cooperation, to enhance its market-based operation. This year, BJIFF operates on a quota of financial subsidy coupled with revenue from market development. Beijing International Film Festival Co., Ltd. has been established to play a part in the organizing mechanism of the Festival as an independent market entity and to formulate measures on management of sponsorship and investment as well as interim provisions on investment agents for the Festival, with a view of significantly uplifting its self-improvement and market-based operation capabilities.

　　Combination of “Internationalization” and “Localization” While putting a premium on its internationalization, BIJFF mainly leverages local resources to promote home-made films, support Chinese filmmakers and expand the local audience, and in this way realize combination between internationalization and localization. Li Chunliang, Secretary General of BJIFF Organizing Committee indicated it is of paramount importance to identify what the Chinese culture champions at BJIFF. President Xi emphasized we should effectively tell Chinese tales. It is necessary for Beijing, capital of China, to spread Chinese fine culture across the world, and make its due contributions to the world film prosperity.

　　The Beijing Film Panorama of BJIFF is devoted to development of Chinese films, holding the diversity of Chinese films in high regard and screening films of Chinese ethnic groups. It implements policies to people’s benefit and practices the low ticket price strategy, so as to attract more movie fans and citizens to go to the cinema. Additionally, BJIFF makes a point of integrating strengths of the industry, supports newcomers with their new works, and pools project resources. Sticking to the top goal of hunting for and supporting new creators as well as generating featured Chinese movies of different genres, the Film Project Market of Beijing Film Market has become the most important incubator of Chinese films and talents in Chinese mainland, which has produced a good many excellent films including The Bodyguard and Mountain Cry. Since its third edition, BJIFF has added the New Focus Unit, with a view of discovering, recommending and supporting Chinese film talents under the age of 45; besides, the Forward Future Unit has been added to organize young directors and scholars from China and abroad to participate in in-depth communication and discussion on the theme of “Discovering New Films, Recommending New Directors”, and thus to encourage innovation among them and boost communication and cooperation among young filmmakers from across the world.

　　BJIFF has become an important culture name card of Beijing and China at large. In future, the Festival will continue to pursue internationalization at the three levels of value strategy, industry strategy and operation strategy, to build a wonderful platform for Chinese films to engage in international film culture communication, and generate positive influence upon enriching the world film art and promoting international dissemination of Chinese culture.