From April 19 to 21, 2025, the “International Lounge” of the 15th Beijing International Film Festival (BJIFF) took place successfully at Langyuan Station. This year's International Lounge brought together more than 300 filmmakers and film companies from multiple countries and regions around the world, including France, the United Kingdom, Singapore, and more. While maintaining the hallmark features of last year's theme - “Connecting the World, Engaging in Deep Dialogue” - it further elevated the platform for Sino-foreign film industry exchanges, jointly shaping a promising future for global cinema.

Last year, in just three days, International Lounge BJIFF facilitated more than 120 industry meetings, during which dozens of Chinese and foreign film and television companies conducted extremely fruitful exchanges and negotiations.

This year, the International Lounge made its return with three major upgrades: Expanded Scale - The number of participating companies increased significantly, resulting in more than 240 meetings held throughout the event; Enhanced Content - This year's event specially features on-site lectures by programmers, providing directors and producers with face-to-face exchange opportunities with programmers from prestigious international film festivals such as the Berlin International Film Festival, San Sebastián International Film Festival, Venice International Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival, and Tokyo International Film Festival; Closed-loop Ecosystem - The guest list and participating enterprises spanned the global film value chain - covering creation, distribution, and technology.

The event gathered leading domestic and international film companies, providing a space where buyers and sellers could fully engage and collaborate.

Chinese companies attending the event included China Film Archive, China Film Group Corporation, Huaxia Film Center, Huayi, Alibaba, CMC Pictures, China Lion Film, EDKO Films Limit, LianRay Pictures, Bona Film Group, Tiger Pictures, Laure Pictures, As One Production, Bad Rabbit, Hairun, Beijing Forbidden City Film, Fantawild, Parallax Films, Rediance, Sita Digital, Hugoeast Media, Data Dream, Blue Media, Shanghai International Film Festival, Hainan Island International Film Festival and other companies and institutions, showcasing the new ecology of the entire chain of China's film industry.

The international delegation featured companies from around the globe, including: Silver Moonlight and Mockingbird in Vietnam, Ennoble in Thailand, TOHO Global International and FACEWHITE in Japan, MM2 in Singapore, Protagonist Pictures, SC Fillms and CineAsia in the UK, Heylight and Pulsar Content in France, Fandango Sales and Vision Distribution in Italy, Well Go in the United States, and Star Films in Peru - highlighting the platform's strong cross-cultural and transnational influence.

Unlocking the Code for Global Expansion: Releasing the Global Potential of Chinese Cinema

Focusing on the theme of Chinese cinema's globalization, the 15th BJIFF International Lounge hosted two high-density forums that sparked in-depth industry discussions.

Last year, during BJIFF, presidents and programmers from various international film festivals participated in forum activities, exploring the achievements and future potential of Chinese films on the global stage. This year, the BJIFF International Lounge once again welcomed top-tier international programmers and added a special session featuring on-site masterclasses conducted by these festival experts.

On April 20, festival programmers from some of the world's most prestigious film festivals gathered at Langyuan Station's O-Box to provide in-depth insights into the selection processes of their respective festivals. The panel included Lin Qingxin from the San Sebastián International Film Festival, Jacob Wong from the Berlin International Film Festival, Anita Lee, Chief Programming Officer from the Toronto International Film Festival, Paolo Bertolin from the Venice International Film Festival, and Shozo Ichiyama, programming director of the Tokyo International Film Festival. They shared industry standards, review logic, and market trends, aiming to help Chinese filmmakers better align with global film festival circuits.

Another event held at Langyuan Station's O-Box that afternoon also attracted significant attention from industry professionals. The BJIFF Special Forum titled “Chinese Film Overseas Distribution and Promotion Panel · From Diverse Content to Diverse Audience” featured five prominent guests from leading international film distribution companies. They discussed the opportunities and challenges for Chinese films in the global market based on their extensive experience in various markets. These guests include Doris Pfardrescher, president and CEO of Well Go USA; Angelin Ong, general manager of Singapore's MM2 Entertainment Asia Ltd.; Aman Kapur, general manager of Peru's Star Films; Boris Pugnet, partner of France's Heylight Pictures; and Xie Yi, partner of Japan's FACEWHITE.

Special Forum of “Chinese Film Overseas Distribution and Promotion Panel · From Diverse Content to Diverse Audience”

The panelists unanimously agreed that although Chinese films are diverse in genre, they do not focus solely on specific genres when selecting films. Instead, they prioritize the quality and narrative strength of the films. Doris pointed out that successful cases like The Wandering Earth and Ne Zha demonstrate that the North American market values emotional resonance over genre specifics. Angelin Ong emphasized through her decade-long distribution experience that genre is not the key; what matters is whether a film has a compelling story that can transcend language and cultural barriers. Aman noted that action films with strong audio-visual impact are more likely to break through barriers in the South American market. However, interest in Chinese animation and romance films among Latin American audiences is steadily growing. “We need to cultivate viewers' watching habits and cultural resonance,” he emphasized.

In terms of international distribution, the panelists delved into practical details such as trailer production, subtitles and dubbing, and social media management. Boris shared how the Creation of The Gods series was restructured trailer's narrative logic to focus more on character emotional arcs rather than the traditional mythological framework, making it more appealing to French audiences. Xie Yi detailed the release process of The Legend of Hei in Japan, which initially started with limited screenings in small theaters before expanding its reach through reputation and eventually partnering with larger companies to produce a dubbed version for broader distribution.

The interactive session during the event was highly engaging, reflecting a shared desire among Chinese filmmakers and international distributors to bring more authentic, diverse and emotionally resonant Chinese stories to global audiences.