According to the statistics published by the China Film Administration, the gross box office of the 7-day Spring Festival period hit RMB 6.758 billion, the second highest of the Spring Festival gross box office in China’s film history. The booming movie-going trend heralds a strong comeback of the film market to certain extent.
Thanks to the boom, the film industry seems off a warm and hopeful start in the year ahead. The return of the 2nd ReelFocus Program around this time put the vision of “helping students grow into professional directors” back on the agenda.
The 2nd ReelFocus Program started the call for films and entries for the project pitches on February 17, 2023. Refer to the long infographic below for more details.
Notice for Application
①Eligibility for Entries:
A. Entries into the Project Pitches Section shall be in the stage of research, filming, or production. Final films are not eligible for application. The runtime of short feature film entries shall be between 15 and 40 minutes, and that of short documentary shall be 15 and 40 minutes.
B. Entries into the Short Film Section shall be completed in September 2020 or later (based on the date of completion). The runtime of short feature film entries shall be between 15 and 40 minutes, and that of short documentary shall be within 40 minutes.
C. Entries into the Collaboration Section shall meet different requirements of the sub-sections: the Fun Age Comedy Future sub-section calls for comedy screenplays/films with no limit on runtime; BOSS ZHIPIN Pictures Sketches sub-section requires that each entry shall consist of a story outline of at least 2,000 characters, theme description of more than 300 characters, screenplay of three episodes (each episode is 10 to 15 minutes long, sketch projects with 24 or more episodes shall blend in workplace or sci-fi elements with no limit on genres).
②Eligible Applicants:
A. The screenplay or documentary proposal submitted for the Project Pitches Section shall be original, and directed by students;
B. The documentary or feature film submitted for the Short Film Section shall be original, whose director shall be student during the creation of the documentary or feature film;
C. Entries into the Collaboration Section shall be original. All film and television enthusiasts/professionals are welcome to apply.
Each entry, regardless of being a feature film or documentary, shall be submitted only once. No repeated applications will be accepted.
For more details regarding the call for entries, please visit the Official website of the ReelFocus Program (reelfocus.zhipin.com).
Purposes
1. To support student filmmakers with a total of RMB 2 million for creativity funding and prizes;
2. To select good works and provide them with distribution channels carry out IP incubation of outstanding projects, and negotiate with platforms for partnership and development;
3. The Program plans to invite 20 renowned film and television companies in China to attend the screening event, build a recruitment platform between colleges and film and television companies to integrate industry resources and make it a real mutual-choice job fair.
The 2023 edition added two sub-sections for all filmmaking enthusiasts and professionals, namely the Fun Age Comedy Future and BOSS ZHIPIN Pictures Sketches, both of which include prize money, contract signing opportunities, project development opportunities and other rewards to discover potential creators and enable films with diversified themes to stand out. Meanwhile, larger scale of better tailored film and television recruitment events will continue to be held online and offline, bringing new blood to various segments of the film and television industry.
The first ReelFocus Program was concluded at the Beijing Yanqi Lake International Convention & Exhibition Center (BYCC) in parallel with the 12th Beijing International Film Festival (BJIFF) on August 20, 2022. The Final Judgment Committee made up of senior filmmakers reviewed and selected winners of the year.
Final Judgment Committee members of the 1st ReelFocus Program
After the conclusion of the first edition, newcomers keep working on films. They are still using their unique perspectives and talents as a thought-provoking mirror, through which the whole society is reflected blending with filmmakers’ calmness and passion. Finalists of the ReelFocus project pitches section, namely The Quiet Lake and Mountain’s Heart, were shortlisted into the CCDF-INVESTING FOR GOOD section. At last, Mountain’s Heart won the Special Mention Award and USD 3,000 by CNEX; the FATTY and Kill the Newsstand were shortlisted into the feature and documentary section of the 2022 HiShorts! Film Festival respectively; the Shu An and FATTY won the Best Documentary and Best Director at the 21st International Student Film and Video Festival of Beijing Film Academy (ISFVF) respectively; moreover, the FATTY received a letter of intent for cooperation from the Eternity Pictures Corporation Limited, and won the Silver Jury Award at the 11th Student Director Awards of the Beijing Film Academy later.
The 2nd ReelFocus Program will be more determined to help potential newcomers in the film and television industry to achieve “funding for good screenplays, channels for good films and opportunities for young generation”, and accompany them off a smooth start for their dreams and professions in the film and television industry.
Welcome to visit of the official website of the ReelFocus for application details and application form:https://reelfocus.zhipin.com/