The 13th BJIFF Young Filmmakers Forum—The Return to Realism and the Breakthrough of Imagination jointly hosted by the BJIFF · The 30th Beijing College Student Film Festival Organizing Committee and the BJIFF Organizing Committee, was held in the morning of April 26 (Wednesday) at Beijing Yanqi Lake International Convention & Exhibition Center. 

Li Xiaoming, Member of the Party Leadership Group and Vice President of Beijing Radio & Television Station, Deputy Secretary General of the BJIFF Organizing Committee, Ren Zhanzhi, Deputy Director of the Standing Committee of the People's Congress of Huairou District; Xiao Xiangrong, Executive Vice Chairman of the BJIFF · The 30th Beijing College Student Film Festival Organizing Committee and Dean of School of Arts and Communication, Beijing Normal University attended the forum. The forum was moderated by young host Liang Zhi. 

Many guests such as Dong Xueying, an independent documentary director; Huang Yao, a young actress; Niu Xiaoyu, a young director and screenwriter; Shao Yihui, a young director, screenwriter and writer; Wen Shipei, a young director and screenwriter; Yang Zhixue, a young screenwriter; Zhang Dalei, a young director and screenwriter and Zhou Ziyang, a young director and screenwriter, attended the forum. 　　“Young Filmmakers Forum—The Return to Realism and the Breakthrough of Imagination”

Group photo of guests

Xiao Xiangrong, Executive Vice Chairman of the BJIFF · The 30th Beijing College Student Film Festival Organizing Committee and Dean of School of Arts and Communication, Beijing Normal University, delivered a speech to express his expectations for Chinese films to all young filmmakers based on the theme of this forum. Expectations: Chinese films should return to life, common sense and spirit. As Mr. Xiao said in the speech, films reflect the national civilization and every era has its own spiritual guidance. In a surging new era, we have a greater demand for spiritual works that can guide the society, especially the young people.

　　Xiao Xiangrong

As Li Xiaoming, Member of the Party Leadership Group and Vice President of Beijing Radio & Television Station, Deputy Secretary General of the BJIFF Organizing Committee, said in his speech, the “Young Filmmakers Forum—The Return of Realism and the Breakthrough of Imagination" will comprehensively implement the strategic plan of promoting cultural self-confidence and self-improvement and creating new glories of socialist culture advocated by General Secretary Xi Jinping. Chinese films have a profound tradition of realism which conveys the people's yearning for a better life. As the backbone of Chinese films, young filmmakers have broadened and extended the content tolerance and artistic possibilities of Chinese films. 

　　

　　Li Xiaoming 

As Dong Xueying, an independent documentary director, said in her speech, documentaries have a more vivid sense of reality. Although documentaries will also have specific shooting schedules, many unexpected events may provide more materials and more vivid real stories for the filming. Documentaries are indispensable for the “return to realism". Some people say that a documentary is just the album of a country. Dong Xueying, who once shot Hard Love, believes that documentaries of various themes are the slices in the album, with which she also hopes to reflect the spiritual outlook of contemporary Chinese people. 

　　

　　Dong Xueying

Huang Yao, a young actress who has participated in many realistic films, believes that real energy is often out of expectations, so it is also the most touching. As an actress, she will also accumulate as much insight as possible from the life to better interpret the film characters. She believes that it is very important to know yourself first. The sooner you understand what you are like, the more you can face yourself honestly, and then you can open your arms to embrace various film characters; you must also believe in your cognition of things and emotions, so that you are courageous to release all your desires and emotions.

　　

　　Huang Yao

As Niu Xiaoyu, a young director and screenwriter, said in her speech, creation is not only an answer to the question of life, but also a mark that accompanies her growth. She believes that people must first know and understand themselves before they can have the ability to care for others. In the process of filming, she has also experienced a mind change from "making films for myself" to "making film for the masses". With regard to her future plan, she said that she would continue to share her thoughts on different stages of life with everyone and leave her film Virgin Blue for a broader world. 

　　

　　Niu Xiaoyu 

Shao Yihui, a young director, screenwriter and writer, believes that the reality on the screen is the created “sense of realism". She encourages young people to find the things they have most feelings and most interests, and constantly train their writing ability to realize the sense of reality of different themes. Meanwhile, she also talked about the positive role of literary creation on film creation. She believes that a good director must have the writing ability, and a good screenwriter must also have directorial thinking, because the two aspects are closely related and mutually complemented.

　　

　　Shao Yihui

When shooting Are You Lonesome Tonight?, director Wen Shipei adopted the abstract narrative, trying to keep a distance between the audience and the storyline to create a "film fable". With regard to his plan for the next film, he said that the theme selection was a big test for him. He hoped to shoot the themes that were interesting to him and demanded by the society. He said that inspiration was the accumulation of personal experience, and no one could become an excellent creator without real research and experience. 

　　

　　Wen Shipei

When talking about the creative experience of sci-fi films, young screenwriter Yang Zhixue said that the "breakthrough of imagination" should also be based on the requirements of various departments in reality and the existing discoveries by the scientific community, which was indispensable for the return to realism. During the creation of The Wandering Earth, he was more aware that sci-fi films should also establish good cooperation among various departments. Without comprehensively considering the opinions of various departments such as photography and art, no one could realize the "breakthrough of imagination”. It was also the experience brought by the industrialized production system to the production of sci-fi films. 

　　

　　Yang Zhixue

As Zhang Dalei, a young director, said in his speech, some authors are always writing about themselves in their works, trying to find their own shadows inside despite the diverse identities. In the film The Summer is Gone, he saw a relatively real self, whether in memory or in reality. He believes that skills are acquired in the process of practice, but what really touches him are the most real and natural images. His films reflect the intuitive feeling of his memory engraved during the adolescence, which integrates his true inner emotions. 

　　

　　Zhang Dalei 

 

　　

　　Zhou Ziyana

Reflect reality with imagination and connect future with reality. "Young Filmmakers Forum—The Return to Realism and the Breakthrough of Imagination" conducted sincere discussions with young filmmakers to explore the possibility of innovative expression and the boundary between reality and imagination. The lifeline of Chinese films will be infinitely extended due to young filmmakers and the light of hope will be illuminated forever. Chinese films will definitely be more splendid in the future due to the creativity of young filmmakers!