On April 18 to 24, 2024, the Forward Future Section will be unveiled at the 14th Beijing International Film Festival (BJIFF). For the purposes of “discovering the new filmmakers around the globe in China’s view and encouraging originals on the new wave of films in the world”, the section strives to highlight the cultural connotations of films in various forms, and boost the exchange and communication among young filmmakers all over the world. For the section designed for the new talents with new works at the BJIFF, all the first or second feature films are welcomed worldwide regardless of genre, type or style.

The "Forward Future” section of the 14th BJIFF will invite five renowned filmmakers to form an international jury to select the shortlisted films to compete for seven honors, namely “Best Film”, “Best Director”, “Best Screenplay”, “Best Actor”, “Best Actress”, “Best Artistic Contribution”, and “Jury Special Mention”.

This year we have invited Polish director Jerzy Skolimowski to act as the Jury President, and Chinese director Gu Xiaogang, Dutch cinematographer Kees Van Oostrum, Chinese director Yang Lina, and Chinese actress Yang Zishan to act as the Jury members of the "Forward Future" section.

Jerzy Skolimowski, Polish director, screenwriter, and actor. He played a pivotal role in the Polish New Wave cinema movement. He directed more than 20 films, notably The Departure, Moonlighting and EO, which earned him the Golden Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival, Jury's Special Grand Prix at the Festival de Cannes, and two nominations for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film/International Feature Film. In 2016, he received the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement at the Venice International Film Festival.

Gu Xiaogang, a Chinese director and screenwriter. His feature film debut Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains won multiple honors at Festival de Cannes, Golden Rooster Awards, and other festivals at home and abroad in 2019. At the 36th Tokyo International Film Festival, his new film Dwelling by the West Lake was selected for the competition section, and he was awarded the special honor, Kurosawa Akira Award.

Prof. Kees Van Oostrum, former President of the American Society of Cinematographers, is currently a professor at the Shanghai Theater Academy. He graduated from the Netherlands Film Academy and the American Film Institute. As a cinematographer, he has worked on more than 80 films, including the ones winning Emmy Award. His major works include: Gettysburg, Gods and Generals, Christina, Dark Hearts, and A Perfect Man.

Yang Lina, screenwriter, director, and a representative figure of Chinese independent documentaries. Her documentary Old Men won the SCAM International Award at the Cinéma du Réel, Award of Excellence in the New Asian Currents section of the Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival, and Golden Dove Long Footage at the International Leipzig Festival for Documentary and Animated Film. Her feature films “Women’s Trilogy” - Longing for the Rain (2013), Spring Tide (2019) and Song of Spring (2022) won different film awards home and abroad. The film, Song of Spring, was shortlisted for the Tiantan Award in the competition section of the 12th BJIFF and won the Best Actress Award.

Yang Zishan, actress from Chinese mainland. She was nominated as the Best Actress at the Golden Rooster Awards and People’s Hundred Flowers Awards; and won the Outstanding New Actress at the 15th Huabiao Film Awards. Her major works include Miss Granny, Walking Past the Future, and Till the End of the World. She also starred in Wu Hai and Ripples of Life, which won different film awards at home and abroad.

All world-renowned film directors began their careers as newcomers to films. At the very first day of career, every director tries to tell their own stories instead of depicting the world, just starting from their first feature film, and then the second and the third and so on. With the growing skills and maturing style, they could write down the most fascinating chapter of their own and what remains constant is the concern for the world around us. It is also through "Forward Future" that new directors are able to grow together with the audience who loves films. Five outstanding filmmakers from different countries will join in the “Forward Future” section to discover all talented new filmmakers and their brilliant works.