On April 28, 2023, the Short Video Section Theme Forum of the 13th Beijing International Film Festival (BJIFF) hosted by the BJIFF Organizing Committee and the Communication University of China wrapped up at the Grand Ballroom, Beijing Yanqi Lake International Convention & Exhibition Center. At the forum themed on “Culture and Civilization in Short Videos”, representatives from the industry and academia made keynote speeches on new phenomena, new developments, and new issues in short videos, and had a brainstorming over ideas and views on the paths and methods of leveraging high-quality short videos to promote cultural communication, showcase Chinese culture and tell the Chinese stories well.

　　

　　13th BJIFF Short Video Section Theme Forum

　　

　　Duan Peng, Vice President of Communication University of China, delivering the welcome speech on behalf of the Organizer 

　　

　　Yu Lan, Deputy Chief Editor of China News Service and President of chinanews.com.cn, making a welcome speech on behalf of the Co-organizer 

From the keynote speeches on "Cultural Communication in Short Videos", Wang Wenbin, Director of the Center for Integrated Development, China Media Group and Executive Vice President of the National Institute of e-Sports Development, Hu Zhifeng, professor and doctoral supervisor at Beijing Film Academy and Director of the Academic Committee of Chinese Collegial Association for Visual Art, Lu Shaoyang, Professor at the School of Journalism & Communication, Peking University, and Tian Weigang, Secretary General of the BJIFF Short Video Section and Professor at Television School, Communication University of China, respectively discussed several topics such as the evaluation system of short video convergence media, short video and public aesthetic education, possibility of spiritual communication with short videos, and cultural and cognitive nature of short videos.

　　

The speeches on "Chinese Civilization in Short Videos" discussed the positive role of short videos in expanding the influence of Chinese culture. Zhao Lifang, Dean of the School of Journalism & Communication, Minzu University of China, with "Why China" as the title, elaborated that China is not an abstract "imagined community", and the short video makes China knowable and sensible, thus valuing the beauty of cultures of China and other countries. Shen Ning, Chief Editor of tv.people.cn, presented how short videos could rejuvenate the Chinese culture from three aspects: "activating the beauty of Chinese culture with short videos", "condensing the great power for good with short videos" and "stimulating the vitality of government communication with short videos". Yin Le, Research Fellow of the World Media Research Center, Institute of Journalism & Communication, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and Deputy Dean of the School of Journalism & Communication, University of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, held that short video is first of all a field, independent from and interacted with reality, and then a medium that can fit with the "wedge" in traditional culture to trigger the great development of culture.

At the speeches on "Chinese Stories in Short Videos", industrial and academic experts, with reference to the overseas communication practice and cases of Chinese short videos to explore a way for short videos to help international communication and show a true, stereoscopic, and comprehensive image of China. Xue Ying, Deputy Director of the International Department of Xinhua News Agency, made a speech on "Short Video and Communication in the Era of Social Media". Ke Rongyi, Director of the New Media Center of China Daily, explained that short video is not only a medium for cultural communication, but also an important carrier of communication and dialogue among different civilizations from three levels: revival, leapfrogging, and communication. Qi Bin, Director of the Video Department of China News Service and Vice President of Ecns.cn, pointed out a path of development for the professional production of short videos and the improvement of journalists' professionalism. Wang Guan, Host and Chief Reporter of CGTN, China Media Group, discussed the possibility of short videos in innovating Chinese discourse system. Zeng Xiangmin, professor and Secretary of Party Committee of the Television School of the Communication University of China, also attended the forum.

Ecns.cn and its matrix accounts broadcast the forum live, and six major video platforms, including iQiyi, Migu Video, Tencent Video, Kuaishou, Youku and Bilibili, also made live broadcasts at the same time.