Zhang Xiaoli, a host from China Movie Channel (CCTV6) and the host of the Honor Gala of the AIGC Unit

Honor Gala of the AIGC Unit 

The ceremony was star-studded with many heavyweight guests, including Yu Junsheng, Deputy Director of the Publicity Department of the CPC Beijing Municipal Committee, Secretary of CPC Leadership Group and Director-General of Beijing Radio & Television Station, and Vice-Chairman and Secretary-General of the Beijing International Film Festival Organizing Committee; Liao Xiangzhong, Secretary of the CPC Committee of Communication University of China; Yang Yi, Standing Committee Member of the CPC Committee and Vice President of Communication University of China; Ulrich Weinberg, former Dean of the School of Design Thinking in Germany, and Chairman of the Global Design Thinking Alliance; this year's Jury President: Guan Hu, a famous director, screenwriter and producer; international jury representative: Rob Minkoff, a renowned American film director and producer who directed films such as The Lion King and The Forbidden Kingdom; Tan Zhuo, a famous Chinese actor and artist and member of the final jury; Wang Lei, Dean of the School of Animation and Digital Arts, Communication University of China; Story Chen, a young director and the winner of the Palme D'Or for Short Film at the 75th Cannes International Film Festival; Li Yang, head of product operations for Kuaishou's large language models; Ma Ping, Dean of the Artificial Intelligence Research Institute of China Film Group Corporation; Wang Tao, Deputy Director of the Publicity Department of the CPC Leadership Group of Sinopec and Deputy General Manager of the Brand Department; Li Qiang, Secretary of the CPC Working Committee and Director of the Administrative Committee of the National Cultural Industry Innovation Experimental Zone; Feng Wei, Vice President of Asia Pacific and president of Greater China of the Motion Picture Association of America; AIGC academic promotion representatives: Huangfu Yichuan, President and Editor-in-Chief of Contemporary Cinema Magazine; Yang Chiyuan, president and editor-in-chief of Media magazine; Yan Wei, Editor-in-Chief of China Television Art Committee and Executive Editor of China Television; and Jia Xiuqing, Professor and PhD Supervisor at the School of Animation and Digital Arts of the Communication University of China, Director and Producer. In addition to them, representatives from the government, academic circles, and the industrial community also witnessed this honorable moment together.

Leaders' Speech and Industry Insights: Embrace Change and Stick to Humanity

In his speech, Liao Xiangzhong, Secretary of the CPC Committee of Communication University of China, reviewed the process of co-founding the world's first AIGC Unit with BJIFF. He emphasized that both parties uphold the concept of “technology empowering art and innovation leading the future” and focus on the “globalization and popularization” positioning to build an open stage for AIGC image creation. He pointed out that AIGC is not only an innovation in tools, but also the “new quality productivity” with huge potential. However, while embracing the technology, we must uphold our values and ensure that the technology serves humanity, “letting every frame of light and shadow measure the height of human civilization.”

Mr. Yu Junsheng delivered a speech at the ceremony.

Guan Hu, the director and Jury President, combined with his own creative experience and believed that the power of film stems from the gaze upon “human beings”. He compared AIGC to a “sharp scalpel”, emphasizing that technology should be a partner of creators rather than a substitute. "No matter how cutting-edge the technology is, it will eventually return to the narrative of 'people'. “He affirmed that this year's works have both technological edge and warmth of life, and encouraged creators to "use technology as a blade and humanity as a soul.”

Jury President Mr. Guan Hu delivered a speech.

Director Rob Minkoff, a representative of the international jury, marveled at the rapid development of AI technology from the perspective of international animated films, but also emphasized that “technology alone cannot create a great work.” He believes that what truly touches people's hearts is the creator's emotional investment and artistic vision. AI cannot replace the transmission of human emotions. The story is always the most important, and “a film work must never lack the human part.”

Rob Minkoff, representative of the international jury, delivered a speech.

Li Yang, head of product operations for Kuaishou's large language models, introduced KLING AI efforts as the exclusive technical partner BJIFF AIGC Unit in model iteration, product function optimization, and integration with the industry (such as KLING AI Director Co-Creation Project, AI-unit Drama Incubation Program, and Jackie Chan's Movie A Plan). Li Yang said that KLING AI will continue to increase its support for creators and continue to explore and expand the application prospects of AI in the field of professional-grade video content production.

Li Yang, head of product operations for Kuaishou's large language models, delivered a speech.

Wang Tao, Deputy Director of the Publicity Department of the CPC Leadership Group of Sinopec, thanked Organizing Committee and judges and congratulated the winners. He said that as a deep cooperation partner, Sinopec set up Theme Competition to explore the infinite possibilities of AIGC technology in the integration of energy and visual arts, which is highly consistent with the company's direction of fully promoting digital transformation.

Wang Tao, Deputy Director of the Publicity Department of the CPC Leadership Group of Sinopec, delivered a speech.

An important strategic cooperation launching ceremony was held at the ceremony. BJIFF and the Communication University of China announced a long-term strategic cooperation, and the AIGC Unit officially landed on the campus of the Communication University of China. At the same time, the Communication University of China signed a strategic cooperation agreement with the Artificial Intelligence Research Institute of China Film Group Corporation and the National Cultural Industry Innovation Experimental Zone. This series of cooperation signifies that China's top industrial forces, local governments and academic institutions will be deeply integrated. Through resource sharing, an open, collaborative, and prosperous innovative ecosystem for AIGC films will be established. A platform integrating talent cultivation, technological research and development, content creation, and achievement transformation, which combines production, education, research, and application, will be built. This will inject powerful impetus into the high-quality development of the “AI + film” industry. 

 Wang Tao, Deputy Director of the Publicity Department of the CPC Leadership Group of Sinopec, delivered a speech.

Strategic Cooperation Ceremony: Building a New Ecosystem of “AI + film”

An important strategic cooperation launching ceremony was held at the ceremony. BJIFF and the Communication University of China announced a long-term strategic cooperation, and the AIGC Unit officially landed on the campus of the Communication University of China. At the same time, the Communication University of China signed a strategic cooperation agreement with the Artificial Intelligence Research Institute of China Film Group Corporation and the National Cultural Industry Innovation Experimental Zone. This series of cooperation signifies that China's top industrial forces, local governments and academic institutions will be deeply integrated. Through resource sharing, an open, collaborative, and prosperous innovative ecosystem for AIGC films will be established. A platform integrating talent cultivation, technological research and development, content creation, and achievement transformation, which combines production, education, research, and application, will be built. This will inject powerful impetus into the high-quality development of the “AI + film” industry. 

Strategic Cooperation Launch Ceremony

Honors Announced: Diverse Excellent Works Showcase the Infinite Possibilities of AIGC

The exciting award ceremony brought the ceremony to a climax. Under the spotlight, a total of 51 film honors in five major sections and 5 academic recommendation honors were grandly announced, demonstrating the infinite possibilities and diverse charm of AIGC in empowering image creation. 

The first awards to be announced were for Sinopec Theme Competition. This year's Theme Competition is "Future Energy, Beautiful World", encouraging creators to use AIGC film language to explore the infinite possibilities of energy. The winning works fully demonstrate the deep interweaving of AI creativity and film aesthetics, making the abstract energy concept visible and tangible. The works that have won various individual awards include: The Flame of the Double-Edged Blade, the Best Narrative Film; Potato Light - Energy Awakening, the Best Technology Film; New Journey to the West, the Best Visual Film; Fueling the Future, the Best Brand Film; Dawn, the Best Sound Film; Green Pulse Transition, the Best Popular Science Film; The Pact of Ever-Burning, the Best Innovative Team; Flowers in the Town, the Best Environmental Communication Film; and The Prologue of the Eternal Night, the Audience Choice Film. These works span epic and absurdity, popular science and branding, and use generative images to outline the diverse vision of “Future Energy, Beautiful World”. Ultimately, Best Creativity Film was awarded to Little Tree Returns. Through a child's gaze contemplating the departure and rebirth of trees, the film infuses the warmth of memory into AI-generated ink-wash animation. Blending traditional Chinese aesthetics with contemporary visual storytelling, it forges a poignant connection between environmental nostalgia, green energy, and future hope.

　　Sinopec Theme Competition award ceremony

The next award was for the Youth Group, which was established for the first time this year. It aims to encourage young people under the age of 18 to use AI technology to write light and shadow stories. The four works, namely The Frog in the Well, Primordial Spark, Code of Bashu: Golden Crow and the Sun, and Lacuna in Dreams, won the title of Excellent Films. They cover a wide variety of themes. Ranging from science fiction about frogs to the Sun God Bird, and from the AI spark of human civilization to the rainforest adventure of a teenager's self-dialogue, they showcase the creativity of teenagers who use prompts instead of paintbrushes and let models drive their imagination. The Best Film in the Youth Group was awarded to Mole Tuantuan's Great Underground Castle Adventure. This work originated from an 8-year-old child's pencil sketch. Through a “child's creativity + AI execution + parental guidance” collaborative pipeline, a fairy-tale adventure was brought to life, standing as a bold manifesto from young dreamers venturing into the frontiers of imagination.

Awards ceremony for the Youth Group

The ceremony then turned its attention to academic stars and announced the academic recommendation honors. To recognize outstanding contributions to AIGC film theory research and knowledge system construction, four exemplary papers were honored: From the “Myth of Total Cinema” to the “World Image” of AI-Generated Imagery: The Ontology of Cinematic Aesthetics in the Era of Artificial Intelligence, Emergent Narrative Generation in AI-Based Cinematic Storytelling, Narrative Crisis and Machine Vision: Contemporary Film Studies Between Video Games and AI, and Visual Discipline and Algorithmic Gaze: The Alignment Challenges Between Cinematic Language and Artificial Intelligence. These studies encompass cutting-edge themes such as the ontology of the image, emergent narratives, machine vision, and algorithmic gaze, providing robust theoretical scaffolding for creative practice. At the same time, the textbook Aesthetics of Artificial Intelligence Artificial Intelligence Artificial Intelligence Creation was also recommended. This textbook systematically sorts out the principles, methods and aesthetic thinking of generative technology, and provides a theoretical coordinate for cultivating a new generation of creators.

Academic recommendation honors presentation ceremony

In the competition of the University Group, the experimental spirit and pioneering thinking of young students were fully demonstrated. The ten works, namely Coffee Beans, Oblivic Inc., For Pixi, The Legend of the Snake Demon, The One Thousand and One Unofficial Pages of the Stone, Whispers of the Strange and Supernatural, Fuel, What If? Potatoes Rule Mars?, The Server Shutdown Day, and The Drunken Fairy Abode won the title of Excellent Films in the University Group. They either reveal real-life anxieties, reshape Eastern fantasies, playfully explore space, or construct metaverse fables, demonstrating the vitality of colleges and universities as the experimental field for AIGC images.

Awards ceremony for the University Group

In addition, the seven individual awards in the University Group also had their winners: the Commercial Potential Award went to Dave's Deep Dive, the Best Visual Effects Award to A Madman's Diary, the Best Creativity Award to E-Spark, the Technological Innovation Award to the Poem of Bones, the Best Art Design Award to The Circular Ruins, the Best Animation Award to Goldfish: a Home at the End of the Wave, and the Best Sound Effects Award to The Mosquito. Finally, the honor of “the Best Film” in the University Group was won by A Foal in the Autumn, which won the favor of the judges with its unique artistic conception and delicate emotional expression.

Awards ceremony for the University Group

The last to be announced was the honors for the Social Group. This group presents a more mature and diversified AIGC full-process creative exploration. Ten works, namely Returning Home, WHO AM I, City Zoo, The Killer, Cosmic Fat Intestine, Goodbye Berlin, I'm Hesitating, Under the Shadow, Crossing, and The Light of the Industry, won the title of Excellent Films These works span a wide range of themes - from the poignant homecoming of a 1949 war veteran, to the philosophical introspection of a robot wandering the snowy wilderness; from surreal visions of extraterrestrial civilizations, to bold reinterpretations of Cold War history. The creators traverse history and the future, reality and illusion, showcasing the boundless imagination unleashed by algorithms in redefining narrative frontiers.

Awards ceremony for the Social Group

The seven individual awards in the social group of this session also found their winners. The Best Visual Effects award went to The Shadow Watcher, the Best Technology award to Martin's Syndrome, the Best Animation award to Brain in a Vat, the Best Sound Effects award to The Green Elixir, the Best Art Direction award to The Lady of the Lotus, the Best Creativity award to The Echo, and the Commercial Potential award to Ghost Diet.

Awards ceremony for the Social Group

The grand finale award, the Best Film, was ultimately won by The Anger that Breaks a Man down into Boys. With its highly impactful visual style and profound exploration of the complexity of human emotions, this film fully demonstrated the huge potential of AIGC in promoting narrative innovation and won high recognition from the judges. 

Awards Ceremony for the Best Film

Future Prospects: Intelligent Light and Shadow, a Promising Horizon

The Honor Gala of the 15th BJIFF AIGC Unit is not only a recognition event but also an important platform for the exchange of ideas, industry docking, and future exploration. The AIGC unit is not only a platform for displaying technological achievements, but also a frontier for the collision of ideas. When AI algorithms dance in harmony with the humanistic spirit, the art of film and television is stepping into a new era of “intelligent symbiosis”. 

The event ended successfully with a group photo of all the guests and the winners. The movie never ends and innovation never stops. We have reason to believe that with the continuous advancement of technology and the deep integration of industry, academia and research, BJIFF AIGC Unit will continue to lead the trend, inspire more creators to embrace intelligent technology, use light and shadow to tell more exciting Chinese and world stories, and jointly move towards a better tomorrow of “AI & Cinema: Shaping the Future Together”.

Honor Gala of AIGC Unit