The film is a mixture of art and technology. From black and white to colors and to 3D; from special visual effects to motion capture; from 4:3 to 16:9 and to IMAX and Dolby, the development of the film has been inseparable for technology innovation. Thus the impact of technology on film development has always been a focus of the Beijing International Film Festival (BJIFF).

　　The 10th BJIFF planned a forum themed "Development and Reform of Film in the Era of 5G". As a pioneer in national new infrastructure, 5G is opening up a new era for the Internet of everything. With ultra high speed, ultra low latency and ultra broad connection, 5G is certain to bring in a new-round data industry revolution and make a disruptive impact on many industries. The issuance of 5G commercial licenses by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology in 2019 marks China's entry into the 5G era. Facing the new technical environment and future trend, exploring the multidimensional impact of 5G on the film industry and how 5G will change the film industry is of great epochal significance. Thus 5G is a focus of attention at the BJIFF.

　　"4G changes life and 5G changes the society". The impact of 5G is reflected in all aspects. The BJIFF that has kept ahead in the film industry brought the audience new media ultra high definition VR live streaming at its 9th edition to make online viewers feel as if they were there. The development of Internet technology is constantly changing the traditional pattern of the film industry, and the advent of 5G will create a new operation pattern for the industry and drive film production, promotion and distribution to some degree.

　　In terms of production, 5G can realize high-degree computing and storage, enormously reduce production cost and make remote cross-domain collaboration possible. For example, when film editing and special effects teams are working, they no longer need to run about with materials. With 5G, these materials are transferred within seconds to boost working efficiency and 5G makes trans-regional work easier. This is conducive to the globalization of the film production industry.

　　Film distribution, from film copy to the express delivery of hard disks, needs high labor cost and material cost. 5G makes digital copy and distributed transfer of films possible, simple and efficient. Digital copy enables the economical and efficient distributed transfer of films without the need to copy from original hard risks for producers, the need to deliver hard disks by express for distributors and the need to mail hard risks for cinemas. Besides, 5G enables film distribution by audience or circuit according to factors such as characteristics and areas of audiences. 5G can not only enrich film supply, but also fully release the potential of every film. 5G can also accelerate film selections and reviews at film festivals, to help introduce more and better films from home and abroad. 

　　Apart from film production and distribution, with the constant development of Internet technology, fans' viewing state has changed dramatically. Internet platforms have replaced cinemas as more fans' viewing choice. Mobile media like tablet PC and smartphone are gradually becoming next-generation carriers of film dissemination. Aside from traditional cinema screenings, the 10th BJIFF introduced Online Screenings and TV Screenings with more diversified channels and wider coverage, to enrich viewing choices and enable fans absent from Beijing and cinemas to watch the best films in the world via the BJIFF.

　　With the advent of 5G, the impact of Internet on life will further be extended. The high speed, low latency, broad connection of information transmission has solved the problems of high-speed transmission and real-time interaction, and brought about a fundamental change to image dissemination. In 2019, "5G+film" became a new focus in the film industry. In 5G environment, transmission speed soars and a high definition film is downloaded within seconds. 5G enables more efficient film dissemination and sharing via mobile media. Alongside fast speed, 5G offers clearer and faster online viewing experiences, enhances audio-visual experiences through VR, achieves real and smooth perceptive effects, makes media an extension of human body, enhances viewers' sense of immersion and improves viewing quality. Maybe in the near future, fans will be able to enjoy a 4K/8K film online. On the other hand, mobile media have become the carrier of film dissemination; 5G offers a higher degree of freedom in viewing, changes the outlook on the space and time of viewing, makes viewing behavior more fragmented, lifts the time and place restrictions of film viewing, makes viewing space more life-oriented and private, further improve the mobility and freedom of viewing, and offers more liberty in viewing. All the conveniences forebode that online film viewing will become a key way of viewing in the 5G era. Online Screenings launched at the very time offers a convenient channel for the use of 5G in the Beijing Film Panorama.

　　The fast popularization of 5G in Beijing is another benefit for the 5G connection of the BJIFF as early as possible. Beijing is home to the headquarters of China's three major telecom operators: China Mobile, China Unicom and China Telecom, as well as 5G pioneers like Huawei Beijing Research Center and ZTE Beijing Research Center. These vital 5G enterprises constitute the exceptional advantage of Beijing in 5G development. Combined with national policies, 5,285 5G base stations had been completed in Beijing by late June 2019, the figure soared to 16,634 in late 2019, of which 14,577 have gone into operation, and seamless 5G coverage has been realized within the Fifth Ring. Some 40,000 5G base stations will be launched in Beijing by late 2020. According to the Action Plan of Beijing Municipality for the Development of the 5G Industry (2019-2022), Beijing's operators will invest over 30 billion yuan in 5G network construction by 2022, to accomplish 5G coverage in Beijing's capital functional core zones, city sub-centers, important functional zones and important places. Then the BJIFF will become the first international film festival with full 5G coverage.

　　Arts revolutions are generally based on technology revolutions. The development of 5G will have a major impact on the film industry. As a forward-looking international film festival, the BJIFF will stay focused on the development of 5G, and use 5G to transcend itself and expand its influence, in a bid to deliver an event with international level, Chinese characteristics and Beijing style.