The 77th Festival de Cannes is being held, and the eyes of the world are all focused on this French beach in early summer.

The Organizing Committee of the Beijing International Film Festival (BJIFF) successfully organized the “2024 Beijing Film Night—BJIFF Promotion Conference in Cannes” on the evening of May 17 local time in Cannes, France.

Over the years, based on its actual situation, the BJIFF has invited different professionals from all over the world to conduct exchanges in many aspects, and learned advanced experience with an open and inclusive attitude, striving to create an international business card belonging to Chinese cinema and Beijing culture.

　　Red carpet of the promotion conference

Over 300 people were present at the promotion conference, including department heads from China Film Co-production Corporation, Yu Dong, Founder and Chairman of Bona Film Group Limited, famous director Jia Zhangke, actor Zhou You, director Liang Ming, actress Lyu Xingchen, representatives from Mar del Plata, Cairo, Tokyo, Rio de Janeiro, Tallinn Black Nights, Busan, Toronto, Zurich, Geneva and other international film festivals, copyright buyers, film representatives and heads of relevant institutions from Thailand, Japan, South Korea, Spain, Greece, Germany, Finland, Serbia, Czech, Switzerland, France, Brazil, Iran and other countries and regions, and world-renowned film media, such as The Hollywood Reporter, Vanity Fair, etc.

　　Director Jia Zhangke attends the promotion conference

“Hearing a person’s voice before seeing the person” is one of the Chinese-style narrative techniques. The promotion conference began with a promotional short video of the 14th BJIFF, displaying many wonderful moments of the film festival in the most intuitive way.

When addressing the promotion conference, Hao Jie, Deputy Director of the BJIFF Organizing Committee Office, shared with Chinese and foreign guests the history and development of the BJIFF since its founding in 2011 as well as the achievements of the 14th BJIFF.

　　Hao Jie, Deputy Director of the BJIFF Organizing Committee Office

Hao Jie stressed that the BJIFF has already become a key platform for the exchange between the Chinese cinema and world cinema through 14 years of development and growth. The 14th BJIFF came to a successful conclusion last month. In nine days, the event has attracted filmmakers, exhibitors and media from 123 countries and regions through over 200 activities, and built itself into a more international, professional and influential platform, presenting a cinematic gala that has showcased the beauty of diverse civilizations and shared prosperity of cultures.

Yu Dong, Founder and Chairman of Bona Film Group Limited, appeared on the stage to recommend films, saying that the BJIFF has built an important platform for Chinese and foreign cultural exchanges, allowing many excellent films from home and abroad to be seen by more audiences during the BJIFF. He sincerely invited the guests present at the activity to attend the BJIFF next year.

　　Yu Dong, Founder and Chairman of Bona Film Group Limited

Jia Zhangke, director of Caught by the Tides, a new film nominated for the Main Competition of the 77th Festival de Cannes, along with actor Zhou You, showed up at the promotion conference. Jia said that as a filmmaker living in Beijing for a long time, he is so proud that the city has its own film festival. As Beijing boasts abundant and concentrated resources of film production institutions, a large and young fan group and a strong movie-watching vibe, and Chinese audiences are willing to watch films in different cultural contexts with an open and inclusive mindset, the BJIFF has already become a major window for the display and exchange of Chinese and foreign cultures, he added.

　　Director Jia Zhangke & actor Zhou You of the film Caught by the Tides

It’s worth mentioning that it's the seventh time that director Jia Zhangke brought his film to compete for an award at the Festival de Cannes, following the participation six years ago. The shooting of Caught by the Tides, his new movie nominated for the Main Competition this year, began in 2001 and ended in 2023. Through elaborate production, the film is an epitome of the times. We wish this film a success at the Festival de Cannes this year, and also hope that it can meet the domestic audience as soon as possible. Jia also recommended Black Dog, a new film by director Guan Hu, which was shortlisted for the Un Certain Regard of the Festival de Cannes. Zhou You, a young actor who appeared in both films, said it was a great honor to star in the films by these two directors, and that he will continue to forge ahead with the honor of nominations at the Festival de Cannes.

　　Director Jia Zhangke & actor Zhou You

Liang Ming, director of Carefree Days, the Best Film of the Forward Future Section of the 14th BJIFF, along with actress Lyu Xingchen of the film, appeared on the stage to recommend films to the guests present at the activity. Liang Ming introduced that this film is constituted by one moment after another, and there were many touching moments at the shooting site. He said that it’s a film about everyone’s life. Lyu Xingchen shared her creative feelings of portraying a girl in northeast China as a girl growing up in south China, adding that she’s always willing to try film and television roles with different types and experiences.

　　Director Liang Ming & actress Lyu Xingchen of the film Carefree Days

Young directors are a major group that the BJIFF is concerned with. Jiang Jiachen and Stanley Tsang, two young directors who stood out from the Project Pitches, shared their stories with the BJIFF and presented their ongoing new projects. We also expect that the young generation of filmmakers emerging from the BJIFF can bring their works to the competition sections of the Festival de Cannes and back home -- the BJIFF.

　　Young director Jiang Jiachen

The successful host of the promotion conference in Cannes has opened a window to the world for the BJIFF. While actively going abroad, the BJIFF has also allowed the world to see the vitality and passion of a young film festival. It is the youthful vigor that has constantly pushed forward the film industry, and the innovation of creative ideas that has brought emerging waves. Based on these waves, the BJIFF is able to embrace the world and look into the future in Cannes, one of the highlands where the best films are gathered.

　　Site of the promotion conference

The BJIFF has once again invited friends from all over the world who love films to meet in Beijing in the most beautiful season of April, appreciating the spring of the city and tasting the culture of the old capital.