
A TOTAL of 57 films from 33 countries and regions, including China, France, Tunisia, Argentina, Vietnam, Brazil, Iran, Mongolia, Portugal, the Netherlands and Qatar, are being screened at the Pingyao International Film Festival in Pingyao, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in North China’s Shanxi Province. With the theme of “Modern Times,” the festival aims to bring wonderful films to filmgoers and audiences around the world. Forty percent of the films are world premieres. Among the films featured in the festival is Wei Shujun’s “Only the River Flows,” which serves as the opening film. Written by Yu Hua, it premiered in Un Certain Regard at this year’s Cannes Film Festival and is also one of the 11 titles competing in Pingyao’s Hidden Dragons competition for emerging Chinese filmmakers. Additionally, Ning Hao’s “The Movie Emperor,” starring Andy Lau, which was previously nominated for the main screening unit of the 48th Toronto International Film Festival and served as the closing film of the 28th Busan International Film Festival, is also being screened in Pingyao. Leading Chinese filmmaker Jia Zhangke, who is the founder of the film festival, stated that by screening excellent films from around the world, the festival focuses on discovering and actively promoting outstanding new works by young directors from non-Western countries. Pingyao holds a special place in the hearts of domestic filmmakers, especially young filmmakers, as the hometown of cinema. Now, more and more overseas filmmakers have started to choose Pingyao for the premieres of their films, said Marco Mueller, chief curator of the Pingyao International Film Festival. The festival has become an important window for the introduction of foreign-language films into China. Over its past six iterations, more than 40% of all shortlisted foreign-language films have been purchased by domestic distribution companies. Started in 2017, the festival focuses on discovering and promoting outstanding works by young directors from emerging and developing countries. Although last year’s edition was postponed due to pandemic outbreaks, it eventually took place in January this year. In addition to encouraging collaboration between Chinese and international filmmakers, the festival has built an industry platform to support emerging Chinese filmmakers through programs such as the Pingyao Project Promotion. The film festival will close with the world premiere of Fei Yu’s “Football on the Roof” tomorrow. (Global Times) |