As micro dramas evolve from wild growth to meticulous production, the 16th BJIFF "Star Horizon Unit", uniting authoritative review and youthful vitality, sets a benchmark and injects energy into the high-quality development of micro dramas. Today, Final Jury for this section and the Youth Promoters were officially announced in sync. They will select outstanding works based on professional standards and empower dissemination from an innovative perspective, jointly embarking on a new journey of micro dramas.

Authoritative Jury Lineup Safeguards

Zhou Xinxia, "Star Horizon Unit" 

Final Jury President

The TV series Lurk impressed the audience with the moments when silence is more eloquent than words, like Yu Zecheng's glance by the window, and Cui Ping's departing figure. These textbook edits were all done by Zhou Xinxia.

As a national first-class editor and president of China Cinema Editors Association, Zhou Xinxia has been working in this sector for over four decades, participating in half of the contemporary China film and television history with her editing. From films like The Emperor And The Assassin and Roaring Across the Horizon to TV series like Lurk and To the Wonder, she has won both Flying Apsaras Awards and Golden Rooster Awards. But what she values most is to "let emotions guide the cut".

She regards editing as not a technical occupation, but a "second directing". She elaborates this concept in her two treatises, The Charm of Editing and A Glimpse of Light and Shadow, influencing generations of editors.

As the Jury President, Zhou Xinxia will bring her precise judgment on narrative structures, character development, and audio-visual languages to set the tone for the selection of "Star Horizon Unit"—however short or fast, micro dramas shall never lose quality.

Jury Member: Ni Jun

Ni Jun, "Star Horizon Unit"

 Final Jury Member

From the real individuals captured by the lens of Oriental Horizon, to the real-life dramatic expressions in Legal Drama Series, and the time slices in documentary footage, Ni Jun has always sought the most powerful narratives between image and reality.

As the Deputy Director of Film Department of the Film and Television Documentary Center under China Media Group, a senior documentary director, and a program producer, Ni Jun graduated in Drama Literature from the Central Academy of Drama. He participated in the production of Oriental Horizon in his early years. He completed over a hundred documentaries in six years, in addition to the live production of major historic moments such as the returns of Hong Kong and Macau. Since then, he has long been engaged in television content creation and program systemization. From Artist, Global Film, to the large-scale production of Legal Drama Series, to works like Chronicles of Spring 2020 and Song of the Grand Canal during the documentary channel period, he constantly connects real subjects and mass expressions. He believes the core of image creation lies not in form, but in "making reality visible and understandable".

As a jury member of "Star Horizon Unit", Ni Jun will draw on his long-term creative experiences, focus on the presentation of works in genuine expression, characterization, and narrative integrity, adhering to the basic logic and expressive quality of content generation in the fast-paced context of short dramas.

Jury Member: Huang Lan

Huang Lan, "Star Horizon Unit" 

Final Jury Member

Huang Lan is an unavoidable name in the Chinese TV drama industry.

The First Half of My Life, Love Again, Ruyi's Royal Love in the Palace, Hot Mom!, Tiger Mom, May-December Love… The hit dramas that dominated the screens over the past decade have one producer in common—Huang Lan. As the Deputy Director of Youth Committee of China Television Drama Production Industry Association, she won the Golden Oak Award - Gold Medal Producer, and served as a panelist on If You Are the One.

Huang Lan's true strength lies in knowing what the audience wants, and delivering more than expected. For example, when she made The First Half of My Life, no one ever expected that a divorced woman's story could spark heated discussions across the internet.

As a jury member of "Star Horizon Unit", Huang Lan will bring the rarest ability: spotting whether a micro drama has the potential to go viral.

Jury Member: He Tianping

He Tianping, "Star Horizon Unit" 

Final Jury Member

If a scholar who doesn't understand his sector is an armchair strategist, then He Tianping is the one who connects academic research with industrial development.

As the Deputy Director of the Department of Audio-Visual Communication, School of Journalism, Renmin University of China, and a review expert of National Radio and Television Administration, He Tianping has long been concerned about the emerging field of micro dramas. But he is not a scholar isolated in a study. Instead, he deeply engages in industrial research, and pays full attention to the ecosystem, pain points, and normative paths of micro dramas.

He Tianping can provide the review with rational coordinates. When others talk about which one looks good, he can clarify why it is good and what values it can bring. Such academic judgment is exactly what micro dramas require most when transitioning from traffic logic to value logic.

Jury Member: Li Dongxue

Li Dongxue, "Star Horizon Unit" 

Final Jury Member

Li Dongxue impressed a generation of viewers with his portrayal of Marquess Guo. But his identity is never limited to an actor.

Over the years, Li Dongxue has acquired many more labels. Besides an actor, he is also a screenwriter, supervisor, producer, and the leader of Beijing Grand Audio-Visual "Beijing White Jade" Maestro Studio. His starring roles in Brotherhood of Blades and The Warriors are representative works of hardcore action films. Blood and the Nameless River 2, which he produced, supervised, wrote, and starred in, won the 17th Five-One Project Award for Spiritual Civilization Construction.

From the affectionate marquess in Empresses in the Palace to the hard-hitting war scenes in Blood and the Nameless River 2, Li Dongxue has engaged in almost every stage of filmmaking. Such a full-process experience avails him of a rare perspective in the review: He can view acting from an actor's perspective, analyze structure from a screenwriter's perspective, and assess budgets and feasibility from a producer's perspective.

In the selection of Star Horizon Unit, he will be the one to pull the artistic ideal back to the production reality.

With the authoritative jury safeguarding quality, this year's "Star Horizon Unit" brings together emerging creative talents, officially announcing Chen Tianxiang and Sun Yiran as Youth Promoters to assist in the dissemination of high-quality micro drama content with a youthful perspective and a novel expression.

Youth Promoter: Chen Tianxiang

Chen Tianxiang, "Star Horizon Unit"

 Youth Promoter

As a young actor from mainland China, Chen Tianxiang has been making continuous efforts in micro dramas in recent years, accumulating acting experience across genres, and developing layered characterization and character arcs through identity transformation and emotional progression.

In micro drama Conquering the Young Master of Miao Territory, he portrays two different characters, an innocent boy and an overwhelming young master, which form a striking contrast. In Nighttime Lovers, the character he portrays is more grounded in everyday reality. In his ongoing attempts from ancient costume fantasies to urban romances, his acting gradually transitioned from plot-driven to character-driven. In different genres of works, he tends to express from the internal logic of the characters, to make connections between rhythm and emotions, and to make character development coherent and perceptible.

As a Youth Promoter of "Star Horizon Unit", Chen Tianxiang will focus on the development of content ecosystem from a young creator's perspective, and voice for high-quality micro dramas and emerging creative talents.

Youth Promoter: Sun Yiran

Sun Yiran, "Star Horizon Unit" 

Youth Promoter

As a young actress from mainland China, Sun Yiran, a graduate in Acting Department of the Shanghai Theatre Academy, has laid a solid foundation in professional acting. Since her debut, she has been consistently active in film, television and micro drama, expanding her acting boundaries across genres, demonstrating a stable characterization ability and nuanced emotional expressions.

In recent years, Sun Yiran has been particularly outstanding in micro dramas. My Sweet Home series, a reality-themed micro drama she starred in, adopts a realistic narrative plus a genuine and delicate emotional description, to showcase relationships and domestic issues that are resonant with the times, and receives widespread echoes in its audience. In acting creation, Sun Yiran values the emotional progression of characters and the presentation of life quality, gives her roles a sense of reality in details, and seeks expressive space between restraint and tension.

As a Youth Promoter of this year's "Star Horizon Unit", Sun Yiran will take a more approachable and contemporary expression to connect creators and viewers, and promote wide dissemination of high-quality micro drama content.

Build a future of high-quality micro dramas together

From the professional review of the authoritative jury to the energetic empowerment of Youth Promoters, the 16th BJIFF "Star Horizon Unit" sets a micro drama platform where professionalism and youth coexist. The jury will select outstanding creators and works of the year from the shortlisted entries, while the two Youth Promoters will assist in promoting emerging talents throughout. With image as a medium and quality as a core, "Star Horizon Unit" will continue to facilitate the refined and professional development of the micro drama sector, and witness more possibilities in Chinese micro drama creation.