2025 Beijing Culture Forum Special Program: Sino-French Film Dialogue - A Gaze Across a Century of Light and Shadow
In the early autumn of September, as a gentle crispness descends upon Beijing, a cultural encounter transcending mountains and seas is quietly unfolding within the ancient capital.
The 2025 Beijing Culture Forum will be held as scheduled from September 23rd to 24th. Guided by the enduring spirit of "Inheritance, Innovation, Mutual Learning", this year's forum will resonate with the annual theme of "Integrated Development of Culture and Technology". We take culture as our vessel to navigate the mighty currents of history, and technology as our oar to sail toward the boundless ocean of the future. Through this dialogue of civilizations, we will present China's proposals while carefully listening to the world's responses.
As a specially curated program of this year's Beijing Culture Forum, and in commemoration of the 130th anniversary of world cinema, the 120th anniversary of Chinese cinema, and the 61st anniversary of Sino-French diplomatic relations, the "Images En Mouvement: Dialogue Chine-France" series of events will be held from September 22 to 24. This event is guided by the Culture and Arts Bureau and Film Bureau of the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee, as well as the Publicity Department of Beijing Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China. It is co-hosted by the Association Yishu 8 (Paris), the National Museum of China, and Beijing Radio & Television Station (BRTV), with the Association Yishu 8 (Beijing) and Beijing International Film Festival Co., Ltd. serving as co-executors.
130 years ago, cinema first illuminated the screen in an unassuming Parisian café. 120 years ago, the camera rolled for the first time in a bustling Beijing photo studio. Now, in the early autumn of 2025, these two long rivers of light and shadow will converge in Beijing, creating ripples that transcend time and space.
A still from The Arrival of the Mail Train
A still from Dingjun Mountain
Themed "Images En Mouvement", this series of events symbolizes how the cinematic cultures of China and France move as freely as the wind and connect as closely as shadows. The program will trace the development of both film traditions over the past century, explore the innovation and expression of cinematic art in the modern era, and promote Sino-French film cultural exchange toward a new tomorrow through a variety of formats, such as the film concert, visual salon, academic dialogue, and film screening.
The event features a distinguished French delegation led by former Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin, including international film masters Jean-Jacques Annaud, internationally acclaimed actress Juliette Binoche, members of the Chaplin film family Carmen Chaplin and Uma Chaplin, producer Ashim Bhalla, President of the Foundation Jérôme Seydoux-Pathé Pénélope Riboud-Seydoux, Chairman of the CDCC (Centre de Documentation sur le Cinéma Chinois) Jean-Paul Tchang. The Chinese delegation is equally prominent, gathering renowned directors Wuershan and Xue Xiaolu; acclaimed actors Liu Ye, Liu Mintao, Qin Hailu, Feng Shaofeng, and Shawn Dou; film musician Monkodran; producer Ning Ning; Peking Opera masters Tan Xiaozeng and Tan Zhengyan; scholars Yin Hong, Dong Qiang, and Chen Gang; curator of the China Film Archive Sha Dan; Deputy General Manager of China Film Group Corporation Liu Chun; and noted film critic Zhou Liming, among other distinguished representatives from film, culture, and academia - all joining in this grand gathering of Sino-French cinematic exchange.
Work photo of Wolf Totem
Among them, Jean-Jacques Annaud shares a profound connection with Chinese cinema. Not only did he recently direct the Sino-French co-production Wolf Totem, starring Feng Shaofeng and Shawn Dou, but as early as the 1980s, his film Quest for Fire was screened in mainland China, leaving a notable impact on the then film-school students of China's Fifth Generation directors. Juliette Binoche, who has achieved the rare distinction of winning top acting awards at all three major European international film festivals and is also an Academy Award winner, is an immensely familiar and beloved French actress among Chinese audiences. Many of her works have served as an introduction to French cinema for film enthusiasts across the world.
Juliette Binoche
The event covers three core segments: A film concert at the Zhongshan Park Music Hall will recreate classic films with live musical accompaniment, offering an immersive audio-visual experience. Five thematic exchange sessions will feature master dialogues, film screenings, and academic seminars. The visual salon at the National Museum of China, focusing on "From New Wave to New Expressions", will examine the inheritance and innovation of cinematic art.
This event stands not only as a significant cultural milestone following the 60th anniversary of Sino-French diplomatic relations but also as a vital platform for filmmakers from both nations to jointly reflect on their century-long cinematic journey and explore future collaboration. Through high-level dialogue, artistic screenings, and academic exchange, the gathering will deepen mutual learning between Chinese and French film cultures and foster the integration of creative perspectives.
"Images En Mouvement: Dialogue Chine-France" carries the shared historical memories and cultural aspirations of both countries' cinematic communities, while pointing toward possibilities for future collaboration. In an era of advancing globalization and digitalization, Chinese and French film artists will continue joining hands to co-write new chapters for world cinema.
Join us in stepping into the captivating world of light and shadow, and experience the harmonious convergence and resonance of Chinese and French cinematic cultures.
