NEWHER, or Xinhe (meaning “young lotus”) in Chinese. When starting to stand on its own, young lotus signifies hope of life
NEWHER symbolizes new female, new perspective and new films. Hopefully, the seeds we are to sow in spring would bloom and exude their scent afar. The unique female perspective leads us to a brand new world of films.
A film journey dedicated to “new and blooming” is about to start.
The pioneering Beijing International Film Festival initiates the NEWHER Female Film Section in 2024 as the era demands. We hope the new addition would facilitate sharing and exchanges among creators and audience, discover female power, and promote the development of female films in China. And the section wishes to tell female stories in the new era through films, and help outstanding female filmmakers stand out and grow up.
The NEWHER Female Film Section of the 14th BJIFF extends invitation to leading female figures and young female filmmakers in the film industry from March 9 to April 21 to attend the NEWHER Workshop, Workshop & Masterclass, Theme Forum, Market Screenings and honor ceremony among other activities. With the theme of “Presenting good female films, and carrying forward woman’s upward power”, the section will organize joint discussion and creation of female-oriented works so as to enlighten female perspective, foster young female creators, inject new momentum into the healthy upward development of the film industry and make “female voice” heard.
The Organizing Committee selects five gifted young female directors from previous BJIFFs as trainees for the NEWHER Workshop to be held in Beijing. Under the mentoring of top active producers, they will write scripts and shoot short films on female subject matters, and complete the entire process of production from on-set shooting to editing within set time.
The young trainees include:
Director and screenwriter from Chinese mainland, graduate in the Directing major, Tisch School of the Arts, New York University. She won the Short Film Palme d’Or at the 75th Festival de Cannes for her representative The Water Murmurs, and worked on films such as My People, My Country, Anima, Mojin - The Lost Legend, and Detective Chinatown Vol 2. Moreover, her short films, A Woman’s Gaze and Marina, were shortlisted at the Troms? International Film Festival, HollyShorts Film Festival and Filmfest DC among other film festivals, and won multiple major international awards. She was included in the BIFF Asian Film Academy with Lou Ye being the Dean in September 2018, which enrolled 24 directors from around Asia; she was appointed the Ambassador for Original Films at 29th Beijing College Student Film Festival, and attended the Young Filmmakers Forum of the 12th BJIFF featuring the theme of “Youthful Expression and the Spirit of the Times”. Her feature film A Story Untold was selected into the 5th HAF Film Lab, an education program of the HKIFF, in 2022, and won the Alibaba Pictures Post-Production’s Choice Award at the 25th SIFF Project.
Director from Chinese mainland and co-founder of the Global Mofy Metaverse Limited. She worked as visual director/post-production consultant for works including Top Student, Wu Hai, Prince of Tennis, The Bold, the Corrupt, and the Beautiful, So Long, My Son, Leap and The Island. She received the Best Director Award at the Tokyo International Short Film Festival, and the Robinson Film Awards for Best International Short and Best VFX in 2023 for her works produced during the 12th BJIFF TALENTS—The Chamber of Memories. The film Plurality won the Best Visual Effects Award at the Taipei Film Festival in 2020.
Director from Chinese mainland, postgraduate in the Directing major, Beijing Film Academy. Her screenplay It’s Going to Snow at Night won the Best Original Script Award in the BJIFF Project Pitches, and From Ejin to Ergun was among the top ten of the BJIFF Project Pitches; her short film Father, I Find You, received honorable mention of shot film screenwriters and directors at the 25th SIFF SHOOTING 48H; and The Renting Room won the Best Editing of the 13th BJIFF Samsung Mobile Short Film Unit.
Director and screenwriter from Chinese mainland, postgraduate in the Directing major, Graduate School of Digital Image & Contents, Dongguk University, signed director of THE ELITE+ PROJECT of Wanda Pictures, and founder of Shenzhen Duiying Weihua Film Culture Co., Ltd. Her script Get Better Day by Day (to be released in cinema) was among the top ten, received the Special Award and MPA APSA Award at the 11th BJIFF Project Pitches, and was included in the top 15 of the Golden Rooster Project Market in 2021. Her directorial short films, such as Ning Yin and BABE, were shortlisted in the BIFF New Currents section, Female Eye Film Festival, Toronto, and China Women’s Film Festival among other film festivals, and won the Top Ten Directors of the Year at the Shanghai International Short Week and Best Short Film at the Mǎo International Film Week. Her directorial Mango TV series Bell Ringing and Calamity of Blue Lotus presented by Wanda Pictures, Yue Hua Entertainment and Zaomi Web Technology Co., Ltd. are available for streaming.
Director and screenwriter from Chinese mainland, postgraduate of the Film & TV Production Department, USC, and undergraduate in Psychology, UCLA, receiver of grants from the Ford Foundation, Ellen MacArthur Foundation, Jon M. Chu APAA Cinematic Arts Scholarship and James Bridges Directing Scholarship. Her short film Firework was nominated for the Best Student U.S. Short at the Palm Springs International ShortFest, Best Short Film Director at the WorldFest-Houston International Film Festival, and Xiying Light My Year Young Film Festival at the 9th Silk Road International Film Festival. It is distributed on Kanopy. Her film project Keke was among the top ten of the CFDG Young Director Support Program (Green Onion Program), and film Nanzhou, Nanzhou was selected in the Outstanding Young Director Program of the Wutianming Film Summit for Young Talents. Besides, she made it into the top five of the BJIFF TALENTS in 2022 and the Mama and Her Sleepless Nights, a short family sci-fi written and directed by her, was premiered internally at the BJIFF in the following year.
The NEWHER Female Film Section is curated by the UNESCO Chair on Cinematic Arts and Cultural Diversity, and Beijing Film Art Research Base. Organized by the Beijing Film Academy, the NEWHER Workshop features a mentor team of five prestigious female producers, namely Fu Jia, Xiong Ying, Liu Ruifang and Sui Shanshan. Their rich experience and perspectives are valuable for the subject matter selection, script writing and production of those young filmmakers. And they will discuss female-oriented works with the trainees, and help them grow up.
Senior producer with more than 30 years of working experience in the film industry, former employee at Sony Pictures and Columbia Pictures, former director of the Green Onion Program from 2016 to 2020, which guides and supports rising young Chinese directors, current General Manager of the Beijing Leyichengbang Pictures Co., Ltd. Her essential works include The Equation of Love and Death, Knock Knock, Flaming Cloud, In the Heat of the Sun and Kung Fu Yoga, etc.
Senior presenter, producer, co-founder of the Dadi Film, and honorary council member of the China Foundation for Human Rights Development, Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee. She was involved in the operation of approximately 30 Chinese films, and worked as a judge and producer mentor for multiple times in variety shows like I am the Actor and Everybody Stand By. Her representative works include the Confucius, Echoes of The Rainbow, and Women on the Verge (to be released in cinema), etc.
CEO of Beijing Joy Leader Culture Communication Co., Ltd., film presenter, producer, and agent. Her essential films consist of Lost in Thailand, Lost In Hong Kong, How Long Will I Love U, A or B, The Wind Guardians, Dying to Survive, My People, My Country, Adoring, Lost in Russia, My People, My Homeland, Breaking Through, My of Love, and My Country, My Parents, etc.
Film producer and presenter. She first worked in mainstream media, and then film sector. And she has been engaged in the development, finance and production of film projects in various genres over the years, and acquired rich working experience. She’s known for The Old Town Girls, The Fallen Bridge and Tiger Robbers, etc. In particular, The Old Town Girls was nominated for the Tokyo Premiere 2020 at the 33rd Tokyo International Film Festival.
Film producer, Vice President at iQIYI, Chief Producer of Sansandejiu Original Film Studio, Partner at Bole Film, former senior management member at Huayi Brothers Media Corp., Beijing Galloping Horse Media Co., Ltd., IMAX China and other film companies, during which she was involved in the production, marketing and distribution of more than 100 Chinese and foreign films. Her essential films include the Three Old Boys, Summer Detective, Journey to the West, The Monkey King 2 and The Monkey King 3: Kingdom of Women, etc.
The BJIFF will organize Workshops & Masterclasses of top female filmmaking professionals, including Li Shaohong, Rao Xueman, Deng Lu, Ye Wanting, Fu Shu and Zhaonan, as keynote speakers for trainees of the NEWHER Workshop, young creators, students at colleges of art, and film fans. The speakers will offer guidance to young creators with their experience, and discuss the core of films from professional perspectives. In addition, they will share their filmmaking know-how, dive into film creation, and talk about female perspective and female films so as to bring out creative potential of young directors.
Director from Chinese mainland, graduate in the Directing major, Beijing Film Academy. She is renowned for films including A City Called Macau, Blush, Family Portrait and Stolen Life as well as TV dramas like the Palace of Desire and The Dream of Red Mansions. She directed the Blush in 1995, and won the Silver Bear for Outstanding Artistic Contribution at the 45th Berlin International Film Festival, and Best Director at the 3rd Beijing College Student Film Festival. And she co-directed the Hero in 2020, and received the 11th China Film Director’s Guild Award for Outstanding Contribution of 2019 in the same year.
Renowned female writer and ace screenwriter in China. She published over 60 novels, famous for The Left Ear, Reversed Destiny and The Farewell Song series. The first film she wrote— The Left Ear earned a gross box office of RMB 500 million; the Somewhere Winter she wrote in 2019 topped the daily chart of box office for 7 consecutive days, and became the highest earner of Chinese films that month. She worked as the screenwriter of the film Reversed Destiny, Never Lost Love and web series The Farewell Song in 2023.
Cinematographer and ad director. She’s known as the cinematographer of the An Elephant Sitting Still, One Week Friends, Hero, Wu Hai, Somewhere Winter, Almost a Comedy and I Miss You, etc. In particular, An Elephant Sitting Still was awarded the 39th Hong Kong Film Award for Best Asian Chinese Language Film and FIPRESCI Award at the 68th Berlin International Film Festival.
Film editor and member of the Society of Film Editors Hong Kong. She’s known as the editor of Bruce Lee, My Brother, In Your Dreams, When Sun Meets Moon, Women on the Verge, A City Called Macau and Baby, etc. She was nominated for the 48th Golden Horse Award for Best Film Editing for Bruce Lee, My Brother, and 37th Hong Kong Film Award for Best Film Editing for In Your Dreams, and was awarded the Rising Editor of the Year at the 13th Chinese Young Generation Film Forum.
Colorist with 10 years of experience in film and TV drama colorization. The Shadowless Tower she worked in was nominated for the Golden Bear Award at the 73rd Berlin International Film Festival, and awarded five Tiantan Awards, such as the Best Artistic Contribution and Best Actor; the Snow Leopard won the Best Film at the 36th Tokyo International Film Festival; The Looming Storm received the Best Artistic Contribution at the 30th Tokyo International Film Festival; the Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains was selected in the International Critics’ Week of the 72nd Festival de Cannes; Wu Hai received the FIPRESCI Award at the 68th San Sebastián International Film Festival.
First-class sound technician in China, film sound supervisor, member of the China Film Association, and member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the voting body for the Academy Awards. She’s known for films including the Shadow, Impasse, Snipers, Full River Red, Moon Man, Creation of the Gods, Hi, Mom, Soul on a String, Paths of the Soul, The Great Hypnotist and Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame, etc. She was the winner of the 35th Golden Rooster Award for Best Recording, 69th Annual MPSE Golden Reel Award for Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing, 30th Hong Kong Film Award for Best Sound Design, and 13th Asian Film Award for Best Sound.
During the 14th BJIFF Beijing Film Market, the Organizing Committee will screen the female short films by the trainees of the NEWHER Workshop, and set up meet-and-greet so as to help young female creators have thorough exchanges with potential partners at the Beijing Film Market, and showcase the brilliant talent and creativity of female filmmakers
Outstanding female creators in the industry are gathered to discuss in detail the portrait of girl power in film creation in order to help women grow up through films, demonstrate women in the new era by means of art, and encourage and inspire more young women to start their career.
NEWHER Honor Ceremony
The NEWHER Honor Ceremony is to award outstanding short films and young female filmmakers, inspire their growth, and empower them.
NEWHER intends to encourage and support more female film creators in China, inject new vitality into the healthy upward development of the film industry, showcase women in the new era both on and off the screen, and convey new thoughts and values of women.
We believe “To make female films seen is to showcase films from the future.”