Project Pitches Final Review Roadshow Day 1: Chasing the Light, New Voices Shine with Edge
"The further cinema moves forward, the more it should return to its roots," Zhang Ji, Art Director of the Beijing Film Market, screenwriter, and director, quoted Martin Scorsese to set the keynote for this annual gala of young creators.
On April 17, 2026, the first Project Pitches Final Review Roadshow of the 16th Beijing International Film Festival (BJIFF) Beijing Film Market officially kicked off at the T-Field, Shouchuang Langyuan Station, Dongba. A group of passionate young filmmakers, carrying stories tempered from real life, stepped onto this stage dedicated to creativity.
Scene from the First Final Review Roadshow
of Beijing Film Market Project Pitches
After several rounds of rigorous screening through preliminary and secondary evaluations, this year's BJIFF Project Pitches selected 20 script projects, 6 WIP projects, 3 animation projects, 3 sports projects, and 2 HAF-recommended projects from a total of 539 submissions. These projects span a diverse range of genres, including realism, road trip comedies, family dramas, animated fantasies, and crime thrillers. Shu Qi, actress, director, and President of the Final Jury for Project Pitches, gathered at the event alongside fellow jurors: actor and dance artist Yin Fang; director and screenwriter Larry Yang; producer and screenwriter Ying Luojia; director and screenwriter Shao Yihui; and director and actor Dong Zijian. Leveraging their deep professional expertise from years in the industry, they offered diagnoses and guidance for the young creators' works.
Final Jury for Project Pitches Section of the 16th BJIFF Beijing Film Market
For the young creators stepping onto the roadshow stage, the value of Project Pitches has never been limited to the pursuit of honors or the securing of funding. Instead, it lies in allowing sincere creations to be seen by the industry and ensuring that vivid expressions are truly understood. With their observations of the world and reflections on human nature, they have put pen to paper, transforming private life experiences into universal emotional resonance. The most precious gain from the roadshow is never a final result on paper, but the profound dialogue with industry veterans, and the collision and fusion of creative philosophies.
Shu Qi, President of this year's Final Jury for Project Pitches, brought comments that combined emotional warmth with professional depth, drawing from her dual perspective as both an actress and a director. Faced with the heartfelt narration from the director of Whisper of the Silence, she was deeply moved by the intergenerational bonds between three generations of women in the script. She extended a collaboration invitation to the creators on the spot, stating bluntly, "I am willing to lose 10 pounds for this film." This unreserved recognition provided the most solid encouragement for the debut director.
For the animation project Chinatown Demon Hunting, she pinpointed the core essence of creation, reminding the creators that "animation must be very light and agile". She also advised new directors that if they wish to commit to animation, they must first understand its unique creative logic and expressive characteristics. This was not only providing practical advice from a creator's perspective but also a subtle way of safeguarding the touching emotional core of the story.
President of the Final Jury for Project Pitches: Shu Qi
As the Art Director of this year's Beijing Film Market, Zhang Ji stated bluntly in his opening speech that even as the entire industry discusses the integration of AI and cinema, creators must first clarify what cinema truly is. He remarked, "This traditional, classical questioning rooted in passion will always be valuable - this is the very significance of our Project Pitches." Faced with each project, he consistently utilized his professional perspective as a screenwriter to pinpoint the core issues within the scripts, while steadfastly safeguarding the most precious creative passion of these young creators.
Beijing Film Market Art Director, Screenwriter, and Director: Zhang Ji
Director Larry Yang consistently offered the most practical encouragement and advice to the debut directors. Having risen from the Project Pitches stage himself, he deeply understands the struggles and aspirations of new creators. He not only provided specific directions for polishing scripts such as The Hollow God and Oh My! Grandpa but also proactively endorsed these new projects, calling on industry investors to pay attention to these promising screenplays. However, he also repeatedly reminded creators that film dialogue should be "as precious as gold", urging them to learn how to tell stories through visuals and camera language.
Member of the Final Jury for Project Pitches: Larry Yang
Ying Luojia, acting as both producer and screenwriter, consistently hits the mark when addressing a project's commercial logic and dramatic core. Using the phrase "The god is hollow, but the human heart is substantial", she precisely distilled the narrative essence of The Hollow God and offered directions for restructuring road movie narratives. Regarding the realistic themes in In The Mist, she soberly reminded creators that commercial genre films must find their own unique, differentiated expression. They should not pin their hopes on the dividends of a "market gap" but must instead ask themselves: "If there's another project with the same theme as mine, what is my secret weapon?" She consistently told young creators not to let production costs stifle their creativity, as what investors truly value are the inherent commercial potential and the depth of expression within the story itself.
Member of the Final Jury for Project Pitches: Ying Luojia
Director Shao Yihui, who also emerged from the Project Pitches stage, has a deeper understanding of the thoughts and concerns of new creators. Her sincere critiques consistently pinpoint the details most easily overlooked during the creative process. She repeatedly reminded creators that a screenplay does not need to pursue excessive length: "20,000 words can actually clarify the story of this movie; too many words may obscure the core." Regarding the AI-generated concept short for Chinatown Demon Hunting, she stated bluntly that every image and every frame chosen by a creator represents their own aesthetic and taste. Regarding the balance between comedic "offensiveness" and tender expression in Oh My! Grandpa, she also offered precise advice: ensuring that comedic jabs have boundaries and that the infusion of warmth feels natural rather than forced.
Member of the Final Jury for Project Pitches: Shao Yihui
Dong Zijian, acting as both director and actor, consistently offered unique insights into the projects from the perspectives of character development and narrative pacing. He stated bluntly that "standardized genre creation carries risks", encouraging young creators to break free from inherent narrative frameworks and find their own expressive style. He also encouraged debut directors not to forcibly add characters or subplots just to cater to the market; instead, by focusing on the core story and characters, they can make their work more powerful.
Member of the Final Jury for Project Pitches: Dong Zijian
Actor and dance artist Yin Fang used his keen intuition as a performer to precisely capture the core issues in character development. Regarding the relationship between the two protagonists in The Hollow God, he reminded the creators to let the journey itself truly reshape the characters, rather than letting the plot drive the characters forward. Regarding the ensemble cast in Oh My! Grandpa, he suggested that the creators tighten the subplots to ensure that every character serves the core thematic expression. His critiques are consistently rooted in character and emotion, enriching the narrative's substance and breathing more life into the characters' souls.
Member of the Final Jury for Project Pitches: Yin Fang
The Final Review Roadshow has never been a one-way process of screening and judging; rather, it is a journey of inheritance and symbiosis of the cinematic spirit. Setting aside their status as seniors, the jurors engaged in dialogues with young creators as equals. What they offered were not just sharp critiques, but practical assistance and unreserved support. Meanwhile, the young creators embraced advice with an open mind while remaining steadfast in their original creative intentions.
The long river of cinema has always been formed by the passing of the torch from one generation of creators to the next. The stage of Project Pitches provides the fertile soil for every vibrant seed of a story to take root and sprout, while lighting the way forward for every passionate young filmmaker.
