Guan Hu, a “poet of light and shadow” who graduated from the Beijing Film Academy's directing department, has been hailed by global cinema circles as “China's most uncompromising film director”. With scalpel-like precision, his lens dissects the folds of the era, transforming the joys and sorrows of ordinary people into epic grandeur on the silver screen. From the absurd comedy Cow to the phenomenal war epic The Eight Hundred, from the Cannes award-winning Black Dog to the tenderly crafted A Man and A Woman, Guan Hu has consistently carved his path as a defining figure in the Chinese film industry through his bold personal style and humanistic care.

Guan Hu's films never shy away from raw reality. From Mr. Six's incompatibility with the new era in Mr. Six to the life-or-death choices of volunteer soldiers in The Sacrifice to the warm redemption achieved with the uncompromising visual language of Black Dog, which won Best Film at the Cannes Film Festival, his works consistently reaffirm a steadfast commitment to the power of authenticity.

He focuses on the present, on the individual beneath the grandeur, and on the grandeur within the individual. His camera is always pointed at ordinary people caught up in the tide of the times: Black Dog focuses on the bond between a lonely man and a dog in a desolate town in the West during the development of time. A Man and a Woman focuses on how two ordinary people brought together by chance under unique circumstances face life's challenges. Dongji Island focuses on the Chinese fishermen on Dongji Island in Zhejiang who demonstrated extraordinary courage and compassion during WWII by launching an international maritime rescue. As the Venice International Film Festival once noted of his work: “Amidst grand historical narratives, his lens never wavers from its steadfast gaze upon individual dignity.”

Posters of Dongji Island and Black Dog

Guan Hu on Site

When captivating faces on screen intertwine with flowing imagery to create artistic eternity, the magic of performance goes beyond mere storytelling—it is in the uniquely human warmth and spark behind every character. Just as great actors need guiding mentors to hone their craft, the evolution of cinematic art requires both technological empowerment and boundary-breaking innovation. The future of film is forever unfolding.

Since the 14th BJIFF, the world's first “AIGC Unit” has been officially established, launching profound dialogues between artificial intelligence and cinematic creation. In 2025, the 15th BJIFF AIGC Unit, with the mission of “Planetary Integration & Democratized Creation”, will collaborate with its exclusive technical partner, KLING AI, to inject AI's limitless potential into global creators across the entire chain of image production, project pitch, and dissemination. This is not only a testing ground for technology, but also a crucible where art and algorithms collide—weaving humanity with code and measuring emotions with data, making every frame a fusion of technological precision and humanistic breath.

15th Beijing International Film Festival

AIGC Unit

Guan Hu, Chairman of the Judging Committee of the 15th BJIFF AIGC Unit, infuses this innovative section with a distinct humanistic core. AIGC not only pursues the avant-garde nature of technology, but also emphasizes how technology serves the essence of the story, which is the soul of Guan Hu's work.

In The Eight Hundred, he used IMAX cameras and 1:1 real-life sets to recreate the blood, fire, and smoke of the Sihang Warehouse, using technological means to magnify the fate of individuals in the war. In Black Dog, he used delicate CGI to capture the emotional resonance between man and animal. As he said: “Technology is a tool, but the warmth of the tool comes from the director's perspective.” This control over the balance between technology and humanity aligns with the AIGC Unit's mission of “empowering art with technology and elevating technology with art”.

Facing the wave of AI, Guan Hu demonstrated the clarity and open-mindedness of a senior director. At a recent exchange meeting, he admitted: “I'm not particularly afraid of AI. I'm even optimistic. Cinema has weathered many transformative eras, and this is simply another.” In his opinion, AI is “a summary of old experiences” and cannot replace “people with warmth” - the unique creators. But he also emphasized: “AI is a means to assist us in completing a film, providing us with many convenient possibilities.” This calmness stems from his firm belief in the essence of film: “The most important thing is to stay contemporary and to keep learning.”

True creation is never a future defined by technology, but rather the eternal stories and heartbeat of humanity. Facing the controversy over AI, Guan Hu has long held his answer: “If I treat it as a tool, it becomes something remarkably helpful.” Perhaps, as he suggests, no tool can ever replace the hand that wields it - and the pulse within that hand is cinema's eternal lifeblood. Film is a craft, but more importantly, it is a state of mind. Technology can be learned, but understanding people is a lifelong discipline. He hopes to see young directors use new technologies to tell “human stories” - stories of struggle, warmth and faith.

The AIGC Unit is one of the important components of the film festival, representing its innovative spirit and future direction. Under the direction of Guan Hu, Chairman of the Judging Committee of the AIGC Unit, we are confident that the 15th BJIFF will provide an answer that satisfies both filmmakers and fans.