If everything was as usual, we might now be sitting in a movie theater, or navigating among the fascinating cinematic world to witness the ten-year commitment from the Beijing International Film Festival (BJIFF). A pandemic that is sweeping across the global has brought all this to its knees for a moment, though.

　　The year 2020 is doomed to be a very special year for filmmakers all over the world. The film market today urgently needs to rekindle the flame. The BJIFF, as an old friend of participants in all sections of the Chinese and foreign film industry chains, is also keeping a record of filmmakers’ cohesion to move forward at the moment. Mr. Stefan Laudyn, the Director of the Warsaw Film Festival (WFF) who has been connected with the BJIFF for a decade, send a letter recently, sharing his memories about the BJIFF and reminding us that: at such a moment of everybody tiding over the hard times, film is a powerful force that can cross time and national borders.

　　The WFF, as one of the ‘A’ list international film festivals worldwide, is an important film event in Central and Eastern Europe and even the world. Mr. Laudyn has been the Director of the WFF since 1991. It is also him who officially renamed "Warsaw Film Week" to "Warsaw Film Festival", and since then, the WFF began to cooperate and exchange with the global filmdom. Under the auspices of Mr. Laudyn, the WFF, where Diao Yinan, Xin Yukun and some other high-profile directors in the Chinese-speaking film world have ever received attention and recognition, kept an early relationship with the Chinese film. For this reason, as the first edition of the BJIFF was held in 2011, we were fortunate enough to have Mr. Laudyn at the event, and extend this predestined relationship about the film to this day.

　　Through perennial exchange with the WFF, the BJIFF provides a very important channel for the headway in cooperation between the Chinese and foreign films. Since 2011, Mr. Laudyn has attended the BJIFF several times in a row, and has conducted in-depth exchanges with Chinese filmmakers on topics such as industry development and film production. He has put forward quite pertinent views, and encouraged Chinese filmmakers to “show their own characteristics by being very much an advocate for the Chinese films instead of following the world trends." In recent years, with the prosperity of more and more domestic films deeply rooted in the Chinese culture, what Mr. Laudyn said is really a formidable reflection of his foresight, and thus also shows his sincerity and enthusiasm for the cultural exchange with the Chinese filmdom.

　　We are deeply moved by this letter from Mr. Laudyn, and hope that the fans across China who are looking forward to the revival of the film industry can also recover from the letter the enthusiasm that has been “isolated” for several months:

　　Mr. Stefan Laudyn, Director of Warsaw Film Festival

　　Warsaw, Poland, April 17, 2020

　　Dear Organizers of the Beijing International Film Festival,

　　First of all, thank you very much for this great opportunity to contact the Chinese Filmmakers, using your communication platforms.

　　2020 is the year of challenge. Currently the film industry practically all over the world is in crisis. Film festivals are moved, canceled, or go online. We are deprived of the key elements of cinema, which are a group effort to make a film, and then a group experience of watching it in a crowded room, in darkness. But we keep fighting.

　　My Chinese filmmaker friend Ms. Hou Zuxin was shooting her debut feature “Italian Recipe” in Rome until the beginning of March this year. Miraculously, with great efforts, she and her team managed to complete principal photography in Italy just before the lockdown, and she is now safe in Beijing, editing.

　　It’s been almost a decade ago, in April 2011, when I first landed in Beijing, heading for the 1st edition of BJIFF. After one of the high profile conferences, a young Chinese filmmaker Donald Li approached me, and gave me his film on DVD. Later that year, we invited him to Poland to present his Close Encounter With Mahjong in competition at the Warsaw Film Festival. Donald came with his father, Mr. Xi Li, Chinese Opera singer and director, who regretfully is no longer with us.

　　In 2012 during BJIFF I met Ms. E.T. Hu from Film Factory with whom we started Chinese-European collaboration. More films and filmmakers from China were coming to Warsaw Film Festival, and we put together a Polish programme, presented at BJIFF in 2015. Matin Scorsese, who is a big fan of Polish cinema, recorded a special video massage for our event. Have great memories of my lectures at Beijing Film Market and Beijing Film Academy. The feedback was pretty amazing.

　　But the first person I met in China on arrival in 2011 was Miss YU Yakun, a BJIFF volunteer, hard working, professional, competent, devoted to her job. We are friends to this day.

　　Let me use this moment to give my best regards to all my Chinese friends from various walks of life-important officials, festival organizer, filmmakers, journalists, and regular people in the street. They all added a great value to my life. I will never forget that it all started at the Beijing International Film Festival, almost a decade ago. And I am sure that having good friends, we can overcome any obstacles.

　　So last but not least, I would like to thank the Organizing Committee of BJIFF. Inviting me, you made my life richer. Thank you! Xiè Xiè!

　　There is little doubt that Mr. Laudyn’s support is crucial for the BJIFF and the entire film industry in the face of the current situation. Chinese filmmakers are experiencing unprecedented challenges. Although the BJIFF has been postponed under the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, all filmmakers are still leaving no stone unturned to contribute to the film industry they love. We are also expecting to say “long time no see” to you as the BJIFF sets sail again.