Jiang Wen is a Chinese director and actor. As a reputed and highly influential filmmaker in China, he has actively engaged in diverse roles both on and off the screen. 

In 1988, Jiang Wen was nominated for Best Actor at the 8th Golden Rooster Awards for his performance in Red Sorghum. The following year, he won Best Actor at the 12th People's Hundred Flowers Awards for his role in A Woman For Two. In 1998, he received the Best Supporting Actor award at the 17th Hong Kong Film Awards for The Soong Sisters. In 2012, the film Let the Bullets Fly directed by and starring himself earned several nominations at the Hong Kong Film Awards and won accolades including the Best Director and Best Feature Film at the Hong Kong Film Directors’ Guild. In 2014, Jiang Wen was honored with the Outstanding Contribution to Chinese-Language Cinema Award at the 17th Shanghai International Film Festival, China. In 2015, he was shortlisted for the Golden Bear Award in the main competition unit of the 65th Berlin International Film Festival for his film Gone with the Bullets. 

In terms of jury experience, in 2003, he served as a jury member in the Competition Section of the 56th Cannes Film Festival. In 2013, he served as a jury member in the main competition unit of the 70th Venice International Film Festival. In 2017, he became a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (Oscar) jury. In 2018, he served as the jury president for the Golden Goblet Awards at the 21st Shanghai International Film Festival, China.

With a body of work that has cemented another pinnacle in Chinese-language filmdom, Jiang Wen has been consistently shattering the constraints of filmmaking through his fiercely auteur-driven approach. Dedicated to crafting character-centered narratives imbued with impassioned spirit and romantic imagination, he presents profound insights into human nature while retaining a playful wit. Jiang Wen’s works have been persistently injecting vibrant artistic vitality into the film industry, as authentic reflections of the zeitgeist and cultural drivers propelling Chinese-language films onto the global stage. As Jury President of this year’s “Tiantan Award”, Jiang Wen will continue to deliver fresh surprises for us with his signature “Jiang's Aesthetics” to steer the industry. He will also redefine the international positioning of the BJIFF Competition Section, bringing higher professionalism to the BJIFF in harmony with intellectual depth and industry vision. 

Joan Chen, a Chinese actress and director, is known for The Little Flower, The Last Emperor, Red Rose, White Rose, The Home Song Stories, and Sheep Without a Shepherd. 

In 1980, Joan Chen won the Best Actress Award at the 3rd People's Hundred Flowers Awards for her role in the film The Little Flower. In 1996, Joan Chen served as a jury member for the main competition unit of the 46th Berlin International Film Festival. In 1997, Joan Chen unlocked her identity as a director and began directing films. In 2014, she served as a jury member for the main competition unit of the 71st Venice International Film Festival. In 2019, she served as the jury president for the 13th Asian Film Awards. In 2022, she co-directed the film Hero with Li Shaohong and Sylvia Chang. In 2023, she starred in the film Under the Light. In 2024, she published the autobiographical essay collection Catfish.

From the Best Actress at the The People's Hundred Flowers Awards to the jury member at the Berlin International Film Festival and Venice International Film Festival, from the Oscar-winner for The Last Emperor to the director of Hero, Joan Chen has chronicled the 40-year trajectory of Chinese cinema as an actress, director, and jury member. At this year’s BJIFF, she will showcase and highlight her cross-industry expertise from East and West at the Tiantan Award where her professional insights are expected to align with the historical depth and global perspective of this great event. 

David Yates is a British film director and producer. As one of the most renowned figures in the global commercial film industry, Yates recorded a global box office gross of USD 6.34 billion, ranking seventh among the highest-grossing directors in film history. His representative works include Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2.

Yates began his career directing various short films, earning the Directors Guild of Great Britain Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement and a Primetime Emmy Award. In 2017, he was nominated for the Best British Film at the 70th British Academy Film Awards for his film Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.

His remarkable achievements in accolades and box office underscore his global influence as a filmmaker. From the Harry Potter franchise to the Fantastic Beasts series, he has amassed unparalleled expertise in the film market and garnered monumental commercial success, solidifying his reputation as a blockbuster auteur. As a new member to the “Tiantan Award” Jury, Yates will leverage his seasoned understanding of film commercialization to strike a dynamic balance between artistic expression and commercial viability, offering us a fresh perspective on cinematic storytelling. 

Ni Ni, a Chinese actress, is best known for her roles in The Flowers of War, Yanagawa, and Lost in the Stars.

In 2012, Ni Ni won the Most Popular Actress Award at the 12th Chinese Film Media Awards and the Best New Performer Award at the 6th Asian Film Awards for her role in the film The Flowers of War. In 2022, she was nominated for the Best Actress at the 35th China Film Golden Rooster Awards for her role in the film Yanagawa. In 2023, her lead performance in the suspense thriller Lost in the Stars earned her a nomination for the Tiantan Award in the main competition unit at the 13th Beijing International Film Festival and the Best Actress Award at the 18th China Changchun Film Festival (Golden Deer Awards). Lost in the Stars became the highest-grossing film during the 2023 Dragon Boat Festival, accumulating a box office of 3.5 billion yuan. In 2024, Ni Ni was nominated for Best Actress at the 37th People's Hundred Flowers Awards for her role in the movie Lost in the Stars and served as a jury member for the Asian Newcomer Unit of the 26th Shanghai International Film Festival, China Golden Goblet Awards.

From a Tiantan Award-nominated filmmaker to the Jury member, Ni Ni, a powerhouse among her generation of actresses, has consistently delivered groundbreaking achievements as one of the “triple-medium icons” in China's film industry for her excelling in television, film, and stage theater. She has been reshaping the versatility with her critically acclaimed performances across all platforms. Steadfast in her creation and unwavering in her artistic integrity, Ni Ni dedicates herself to an “immersive” work ethic, channeling sincerity and thorough understanding of cinematic art into every role and seamlessly integrating traditional cultural motifs with contemporary aesthetics, thus forging a unique style that is both “boundary-breaking” and intellectually open. Her inclusion in the Tiantan Award Jury promises to amplify the BJIFF's mission of solidifying visual storytelling and fostering cross-cultural dialogue. 

Teemu Nikki is a Finnish director and screenwriter. His representative works include Armomurhaaja, The Blind Man Who Did Not Want to See Titanic, and Death Is a Problem for the Living.

In 2017, Nikki won Best Screenplay in the main competition unit of the 30th Tokyo International Film Festival for the film Armomurhaaja. In 2019, he was shortlisted for the Golden Palm Award in the Short Film category of the 72nd Cannes Film Festival for his film All Inclusive. In 2022, he won three awards including the Best Film in the main competition unit of the 12th Beijing International Film Festival the “Tiantan Award”, for his film The Blind Man Who Did Not Want to See Titanic. In 2023, Death Is a Problem for the Living was nominated for the Best Feature Film Award in the Progressive Cinema section at the 18th Rome Film Festival, and in 2024 he was shortlisted for the “Tiantan Award” in the main competition unit of the 14th Beijing International Film Festival and won Best Music and Best Supporting Actor.

Teemu, an acclaimed and seasoned filmmaker, explores the world through a prism of unconventional perspectives. Renowned for intellectual rigor with humanistic empathy, his works captivate us with great originality, stark yet compassionate reflections on the human condition. His distinct philosophy on cinematic art aligning with the industry forefront will undoubtedly enrich the perspectives of the event while expanding its global resonance. 

Vincent Perez is a Swiss/French actor, director and photographer. His representative works include Cyrano de Bergerac, Fanfan, and Alone in Berlin. 

Perez gained international attention for his roles in the 1990 film Cyrano de Bergerac and the 1993 film Fanfan, opposite Sophie Marceau. In 2016, Perez's film Alone in Berlin was shortlisted for the Golden Bear Award in the main competition unit of the 66th Berlin International Film Festival. In 2023, he directed the movie The Edge of the Blade. In 2025, the film Hot Milk was shortlisted for the main competition unit of the 75th Berlin International Film Festival. Beyond acting, Perez has also made his mark in photography and fashion, showcasing his multifaceted talents.

This year, he was invited to leverage his profound creative pedigree and industry experience to contribute his wisdom as a Jury member for the BJIFF “Tiantan Award” where he will bring an authoritative perspective to the rigorous evaluation and incisive critique of this year’s Tiantan Award-nominated films, offering both expert assessment and nuanced analysis rooted in cinematic mastery. 

Tim Yip is a Hong Kong film and stage art director, costume designer and visual artist. Tim Yip, a visionary artist, has spearheaded production design and costume design for several films in collaboration with a number of globally celebrated auteurs. His representative works include A Better Tomorrow, Rouge, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, 1942, and Creation of the Gods series. 

In 2001, Tim Yip won the Academy Award for Best Production Design and the British Academy Award for Best Costume Design for the film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, becoming the first Chinese artist to receive these honors. In 2009, he was awarded the Best Art Direction and the Best Costume & Makeup Design at the 28th Hong Kong Film Awards for his role in the film Red Cliff (Part 1). Yip also designed the award ceremony attire for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, and the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games.

From the fluid elegance of martial arts films to the reserved, cool tones of arthouse cinema, Yip has developed a distinct sense of Eastern aesthetics through continued creative exploration. By contrasting Eastern and Western sensibilities while blending history with modernity, he showcases innovative and fresh perspectives for us to understand Chinese narratives and experience Eastern culture, exploiting the more possibilities of comprehending and expounding Eastern aesthetics. His poetic artistic style, embodied in critically acclaimed works, has garnered global recognition, enabling him to unearth unique cultural values and share the profound essence of Chinese culture with the world. 

Amidst the vibrant spring of April, seven world-class filmmakers will be here with us for the Tiantan Award at this year's BJIFF. With diverse and nuanced perspectives, they will interpret cinema through their expertise, evaluate films with discerning insights, and collectively present an extraordinary audiovisual celebration.