Civilization is the result of the development of human society to a certain stage, the reflection of ideological concepts gradually formed in the process of understanding and transforming the world, and the sum of humanistic spirit as well as invention and creation. Civilization starts from the language. Chinese culture is the sum of the objective understanding of Chinese civilization from the beginning to the spontaneous emotional sublimation generated by the wise Chinese people in the process of inheriting and disseminating the way of thinking, values, lifestyle, behavior norms, art and culture as well as science and technology with Chinese characteristics. Short videos, as the second language for people to observe the world and understand the life, make the fragmented content carry humanist values and technical specifications in the new era of network media with the creation by all people, and provide the most common, intuitive and popular way of communication for the ever-changing and booming Chinese culture and civilization.

With the theme of "Culture and Civilization in Short Videos", the 13th BJIFF Short Video Section aims to explore new ideas, new techniques and new platforms in the contemporary era of video socialization. On the one hand, it encourages creators to capture the touching moments in the real life through plain cameras; on the other hand, it supports the presentation of new technologies in the fields of art, aesthetics and social values, so as to shape a rich and three-dimensional image of China, and analyze the diversified and integrated Chinese civilization. Meanwhile, it also focuses on international cutting-edge creation of short videos to stimulate creators’ creative passion and inspire them to produce excellent short videos that are insightful, relatable and timely.

The section includes multiple sub-sections, such as Review and Recommendation, Masterpiece Panorama and Forum Series. After the selection and evaluation by authoritative experts, excellent works will have the opportunity to participate in the activities at the 13th BJIFF such as Short Video Panorama, High-end Forum on the Cutting Edge of Short Video Creation and Industry Development. Based on openness, inclusiveness and professionalism, the theme forum will invite famous filmmakers, expert scholars and creators from home and abroad to jointly focus on "culture and civilization in short videos", and conduct exchanges and discussions on cutting-edge issues such as the creative methods, aesthetic styles, artistic concepts and trends of short videos. Based on practical experience and academic exchanges, it will predict the way forward and trends in the development of online audiovisual media with forward-looking strategic vision, establish the industry benchmark and provide blueprints for decision-making and guidance for practice.