As the first light of dawn broke through, the dewdrops on the buds had yet to be fully evaporated by the warmth of the early spring sun. At that moment, the sound of 30 pairs of footsteps echoed on the asphalt roads of the BE SEEN Training Camp, breaking the tranquility of the morning. The repetitive rhythm of running became a ceremonial start to the camp's opening day - with every collision of soles against the ground, the transformation of these young actors began to quietly unfold.
BE SEEN Training Camp Morning Run
On April 3rd, the BE SEEN Training Camp kicked off, marking the official launch of the 15th Beijing International Film Festival's “BE SEEN Program”.”
Why run? On the first morning, Professor Zhang Hua, the project's Artistic Director of BE SEEN Program as well as the head of the training camp, shared his thoughts with the young actors: “The morning shapes the rest of the day. Running isn't just about exercise - it's about preparing your mind and body, a way to ready yourself for the journey ahead as an actor.”
During the opening ceremony, Professor Zhang Hua offered these words of wisdom to the participants: “Love the art within you, not the image of yourself in the art.”
As the first actor-centric initiative of the BJIFF, the “BE SEEN Program” is more than a training program - it's a statement about the future of acting. In an era where storytelling on screen is becoming increasingly formulaic, audience expectations are shifting - from admiring glamorous faces to cherishing the depth and charm of characters. Professor Zhang Hua reminded all the young actors: “We are not looking for people who like acting or even those who are passionate about acting. We are searching for those who dedicate their lives to acting. Just like carpenters, masons, machinists, and electricians, "actor" is the name of a craft. Only those willing to devote their entire lives to acting can truly excel.”
Professor Zhang Hua, Artistic Director of the BE SEEN Program and Director of the Training Camp
During the 16-day training camp, the 30 selected young actors will live together in a closed, immersive environment. Professor Zhang Hua emphasized the importance of this approach: “The concentrated training is not only to ensure sufficient time for theatrical rehearsals but also to allow every actor to clear their minds and fully immerse themselves in self-reflection: What kind of person am I?”
At the opening ceremony, Tian Hua, Director of the Performance Arts Special Fund of China Film Fund and initiator of the BE SEEN Program, reflected on the nearly three years of preparation that went into the project. She encouraged the young actors: “The journey of the BE SEEN Program has been carried forward by the entire industry, embodying the enduring spirit of cinema. I hope that this nurturing energy will take root like a seed, grow, and sow new seeds, guiding all of you forward as you step into the film market.”
The core team behind the inaugural BE SEEN Program also made their debut at the opening ceremony, supporting the actors' training and performances.
Tian Hua and the Core Team of the BE SEEN Program
To highlight the central role of actors in the project, the inaugural BE SEEN Program adopts a format of adapting film and television works into theatrical performances, allowing young actors to return to the essence of acting on stage. The curator of the BE SEEN Program, Ding Yiteng, has collaborated with three groups of talented young theater directors, including Hao Ming, Li Peiran, Wang Siting, Chen Zouming, and Li Jun. They will each take the helm in adapting four plays: The Invisible Guest, Dislocation, The Gunshots of Secrecy Bureau, and Why Brother, He Bi. Through this process, fresh creative energy will come alive, and the intersection of cinematic performance and theatrical aesthetics will spark new possibilities.
Ding Yiteng and the Theater Directors
“The only sovereign and ruler on stage is the actor.” This famous quote from acting master Stanislavski serves as the curatorial statement proposed by Ding Yiteng for this year's BE SEEN Program. Within the pure environment of the training camp, the actor is the core, and everyone sets aside distractions to focus solely on the art of performance.
In the afternoon of the opening ceremony, Ding Yiteng led 30 young theater actors in launching the “New-Style Workshop”.
The “New-Style Workshop” in Action
Through body language instead of verbal introductions, actors and directors connected with one another, building bonds in the rhythm of breath and movement.
The “New-Style Workshop” in Action
From dawn to late night, the young actors' footsteps echoed back and forth between the asphalt roads and rehearsal halls.
“Why run?” - The answer to this question has existed since the birth of performing arts. It lies in the ecstatic festivals of ancient Greece, in the trembling dew on the tips of Peking Opera martial artists' toes as they practice their vocals at dawn, and within every performer's DNA that seeks to interpret the essence of life through the body.
Sisyphus may have fallen into an existential dilemma in his endless climb. For today's equally bewildered actors, using “running” to awaken the memory of stepping onto the path of performance is a recalibration of the present and a renewed departure for the future. The BE SEEN Training Camp's first lesson - unexpected yet fitting - posed a riddle and its answer simultaneously to all the young actors: More important than reaching the destination is the journey of discovery itself.
*List of actors selected for the first BE SEEN Training Camp: An Siyu, Cao Dan'ni, Chen Jia'ning, Chen Yu'nong, Chen Yumi, Ding Yujia, Gao Teng, Gong Wanyi, Ji Xinbo, Jiang Zhi, Li Xiangxuan, Liu Jia, Liu Luo, Liu Shijie, Liu Yunlong, Ma Ang, Pan Liuxinge, Pan Luyu, Qian Kexin, Tang Yuhan, Yiti Wu, Xu Huiqiang, Xu Muchan, Xu Shiyue, Yang Fuyu, Yu Xintian, Zhang Jingze, Zhang Tongxi, Zhao Wenxin, Zhou Chunyu. *
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