In April Beijing, spring blossoms are in full splendor.

After careful review of 1,826 feature film submissions from 139 countries and regions for this year’s Beijing International Film Festival (BJIFF), 16 Official Selections of Tiantan Award have been unveiled. These outstanding works will compete for the highest honor in cinema, overseen by an international jury led by the iconic French actress Juliette Binoche.

Sixteen outstanding works come together, and naturally, a heartfelt "messenger of light and shadow" is needed to convey this sense of emotion. This year's BJIFF has specially invited Zhang Songwen, who served as a jury member for the "Tiantan Award" at the 11th and 13th BJIFF. He will attend the Opening Ceremony as the Guest Promoter for the Tiantan Award’s Official Selection and highlight the 16 shortlisted films for this year's competition.

Zhang is the only individual to have served twice on the Tiantan Award International Jury. At a media conference, he openly stated that "Emotional resonance is my primary criterion for judgment." Isn’t this the most fundamental expectation of every audience member stepping into a cinema?

His keen insight into film stems from decades of dedication and accumulation. Admitted to the Beijing Film Academy at the age of 25, he has worked in various behind-the-scenes roles such as script supervisor, producer, screenwriter, and educator, gaining firsthand experience in every aspect of filmmaking, from creation to performance. It is such accumulation that has allowed him to deliver one compelling role after another on the screen, from The Shadow Play to The Bad Kids and then to The Knockout. Drawing on his experience, he continues to push the boundaries of his acting. In 2025, his starring role in The Sun Rises on Us All was shortlisted Competition Section of the 82nd Venice International Film Festival, showcasing the charm of Chinese actors on the international stage.

From twice being a jury member to a promoter, his identity has changed, but his sincere passion for exceptional films has never wavered. This time, returning in his new role of a promoter, he is ready to explore these outstanding selected works with the audience, to reflect on ourselves through the lives of others, and experience the vastness and subtlety of the world in the flow of light and shadow.

In the forest lie endless woods; beyond the truth hides yet more truth, and beneath the trauma lingers deeper pain.

This marks writer Zheng Zhi's debut feature film, unfurling an epic scroll of grievances and conflicts between two families across three generations, spanning nearly forty years and interwoven with the threads of law, reason, and emotion. Zheng Zhi established his literary status with his novel Victim in Me and the collection of novellas and short stories The Hedgehog. The novel of the same name as the film; his novel All The Good Eyes—sharing the same title as this film—also stands as a landmark work of the "Northeast China Renaissance". Additionally, his screenplay for The Hedgehog won the Golden Goblet Award for Best Screenplay at the 26th Shanghai International Film Festival. In this directorial debut, he fuses the scale of literature with the tension of imagery, contrasting the vibrant green of spring with the harshness and tranquility of Northeast China, using gentle and restrained storytelling to lament the hardships endured by ordinary people and the unpredictability of fate.

Yu Hewei's calm and restrained performance bears the weight of the character's decades-long fate, while Gao Yuanyuan delivers a refreshing and transformative portrayal that defies expectations. The film deftly blending elements of crime and emotion while retaining the unique humor of Northeast dialect, with its narrative unfolding like silk being unwound—layer by layer, brimming with literary depth and carrying the weight of regional charm and historical resonance.

"Finishing a manuscript is no guarantee of publication; publication does not ensure readership; being read is far from equal to being cherished…"

A successful photographer voluntarily gives up all worldly attachments to devote himself to writing, only to descend into abject poverty. Is this the courage of an idealist, or a self-imposed exile to detach from reality? Adapted from a true story, At Work uses a clear-headed and self-deprecating tone to depict the spiritual odyssey of a soul prepared to sacrifice everything in pursuit of freedom.

Director Valérie Donzelli stands out as a rare multihyphenate talent in French film industry, excelling as an actress, screenwriter, and director. She rose to fame with Declaration of War and was later nominated for the Competition Section at Cannes with Marguerite & Julien. In 2024, she won the César Award for Best Writing Adapted Screenplay for Love and Forests. In 2025, her eighth film, At Work, won Best Screenplay Award at the Venice International Film Festival, demonstrating her exceptional screenwriting craftsmanship.

If there is anything more terrifying than illness, it must be losing the courage to laugh.

Following his role as Final Jury President of BJIFF Project Pitches last year, Chen Sicheng returns to the festival as a creator in the Competition Section for the "Tiantan Award". Venturing into the "life comedy" genre for the first time, he turns his lens to an intensive care unit. Zhang Xiaobing, a young man who survived a suicide attempt, enters Ward 10 as a caregiver, only to meet a group of people clinging fiercely to life. Amid this intense vitality, he suddenly comes to a sudden realization - Live bravely! Laugh unreservedly!

Boasting a cross-generational comedic cast, the film stars Jiang Long, Qi Xi, Yang Chaoyue, Wang Zichuan, Zhang Chi, Cao Bingkun, Huang Yi, and Ye Quanxi, with special appearances by Ni Dahong, Cai Ming, Tian Yu, Ding Jiali, and Cheng Taishen. Blending delightful on-screen chemistry with fresh humor, vibrant young talent and seasoned veteran performances, the entire cast collaborates to deliver a heartwarming ensemble performance that offers audiences a lighthearted and joyful antidote.

Facing a one-night intimate relationship limited to a single night, would you choose "fast food" or "vegetarian food"?

A botched "online date" unexpectedly brings two young people together in the night of Beijing. Through a night of adventures, the film offers a witty exploration of modern urban gender relationships among young men and women today and their emotional dilemmas.

Born in 1998, Director Zhao Badou graduated from the Department of Literature of Beijing Film Academy. He previously served as the literary planner for the hit film Her Story. With sharp insight into the mindset of contemporary urban youth, his works feature witty dialogue, meticulous details, and a brisk pace. Sandra Ma delivered a relaxed and natural performance, while Edward Chen, with his unique youthful charm, created a unique on-screen spark with Sandra Ma.

Notably, Xizongbu Hutong in Dongcheng District, Beijing, one of the shooting locations of the film, has also been included in the travel routes of this year's BJIFF "Follow the Film to Travel". After watching the movie, why not take a walk along this very night route in Beijing yourself.

Warm tea gatherings, gentle daily care, and neighborly kindness... For much of its first half, the film nearly leads viewers to believe it is a tender story about caring for the elderly. However, director Paul Andrew Williams deliberately strips away this sentimental veneer.

The film delivers a striking tonal shift from gentle warmth to gripping tension, in the suffocating performances of dual female leads. With masterful genre fusion, it skillfully weaves social realism with thriller elements, embedding unsettling foreshadowing in the warm daily narrative, and then in the latter half, tears apart the veil of warmth with sharp sensory impact. In doing so, it stirs emotions while forcing the audience to confront their own moral assumptions.

Director Paul Andrew Williams shares a long-standing connection with the BJIFF. As early as the 3rd BJIFF, he won the Tiantan Award for Best Screenplay and the Tiantan Award for Best Actor with his film Song for Marion. Thirteen years later, he returns BJIFF with a colder, sharper lens, weaving together the plight of the elderly living alone, the fragility of trust, and the dark side of human nature. The duel between the two female leads, Andrea Risborough (Academy Award nominee for Best Actress) and Brenda Blethyn (Academy Award nominee for Best Actress and Golden Globe Award winner), stands as one of the film’s greatest highlights.

A handful of ashes, two families, and no one left to claim them.

This seemingly absurd premise, in the hands of director Sun Aoqian, has evolved into a profoundly resonant force. Shoot on location at a real funeral home in Northeast China, the film gazes at the everyday existence of death with a visual language that alternates between restraint and candor, confronting the taboo that society often chooses to avoid. Born in Liaoning in 1992, director Sun Aoqian saw his debut feature film Over the Sea shortlisted for the New Wave section of Busan International Film Festival. Embers is his second feature film, which demonstrates a markedly refined narrative control.

Song Jia's performance as Huang Yan, a female cremator, stands as the greatest highlight of the film. She infuses a woman trapped in dire circumstances with touching warmth and dignity. Wen Qi's portrayal of Yao Xue, delivered with reserved resolve, strikes a delicate, compelling chemistry with Song Jia. Zu Feng, as Xu Wenhan brings subtle restraint to his role, lending the story a grounded sense of rationality and human weight. On this crazy and absurd journey, the characters reclaim the glimmer of life on the edge between life and death.

Even the tipsy aroma in Latin American sunlight cannot mask the restless anticipation that precedes a dream taking flight. Isabel, a sommelier, dreams of opening her own wine bar, a space where she alone curates the wines poured into every glass. However, the path to entrepreneurship proves far steeper than imagined. When her plan fails to ferment as hoped, she faces a defining choice: settle for the comfort of the familiar, or take a leap of faith.

Director Gabe Klinger, born in São Paulo, is a former film studies professor and film critic. He shot the film on 16mm film, lending its imagery a warm and grainy texture. The film carries a lively, effortless charm, echoing the lightness and everyday intimacy of Éric Rohmer’s films. Marina Person, who leads the cast, was also deeply involved in screenwriting, vividly embodying the vibrant love of life so characteristic of Latin American women.

There are many experiences in life remain unfathomable to those who have not lived through them.

Although the film centers on the story of the devastating wildfires in Portugal in 2017, it does not return to the moment of the disaster, but focuses on the deeper aftershocks: how those who have lost their beloved ones learn to carry on living all over again after losing everything. The film uses fiction to approach real wounds, attempting to reach places not accessible to words through silence and gaze.

Director Teresa Villaverde is an important figure in the Portuguese film industry, and her works have been selected for the three major film festivals: Cannes, Venice, and Berlin. From Two Brothers, My Sister to Os Mutantes, she has persistently addressed trauma, grief, and the living conditions of marginalized communities in a unique way.

Acácio de Almeida, the master of Portuguese cinematography, delivers an undeniable highlight of the film. Using light and shadow as his brush, he frames each frame to endow this land scorched by wildfires with a solemn and poetic countenance. On the big screen, charred forests, exposed roots, and gently flowing waters combine to form a picture of destruction and rebirth.

Director Leon Le shares a special bond with the BJIFF. In 2018, his debut feature film, Song Lang, was shortlisted for Forward Future Section at the 9th BJIFF, and won the Most Popular Director. Seven years later, he rose from Forward Future to the "Tiantan Award" in the Competition Section, marking a delightful and glamorous return. Liên Bỉnh Phát, lead actor of Song Lang, returns in a starring role, continuing his tacit creative partnership with the director.

Imbued with subtle Eastern beauty, the film has been hailed by film fans as the "Vietnamese version In the Mood for Love". The unspoken emotional undercurrent between the young interpreter and the quiet widow gently surge amidst the kaleidoscope of lives in the U-shaped building. Cooking and interpretation are elevated to rituals of life; lines from The Little Prince drift between the characters, romantic and profound. Featuring color grading and precise control of light and shadow, the film is a poetic masterpiece worthy of careful appreciation on the big screen.

72-year-old Bobby has been repeatedly driving back and forth between Vienna and Salzburg for months, just to visit an old friend left comatose by a stroke. To save on fuel costs, he gives rides to a variety of young passengers along the way. Their conversations touch on topics such as work, family, immigration, and war, with each passenger's story illuminating more facets of Bobby's life.

Director Sebastian Brameshuber was born in 1981 and studied stage and film design in Vienna. His 2019 film, Movements of a Nearby Mountain, won the Grand Prix Cinéma du Réel. His creations have always navigated the boundary between fiction and documentary, and this film is no exception. Neither purely fictional nor entirely documentary, it takes the form of a road movie, and, within an extremely limited frame, pieces together a profound, understated portrait of contemporary Europe.

This is a boldly conceived film, and its title carries a fascinating mystery. Why name a road movie set between Vienna and Salzburg after a city that never appears on the route? I invite you to discover the answer in the cinema.

When it comes to saving one's own child, is there still a bottom line left that cannot be crossed?

Two couples have shared a vacation home in the Alps for many years, enjoying idyllic summers together each year. However, an unforeseen incident pushes this long-standing friendship to its breaking point. As they race to uncover the truth and save their respective children, the two families are forced to confront long-simmering tensions and disturbing secrets.

Director Mike Van Diem is a heavyweight in the Dutch film industry, and his debut feature film, Karakter, won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. He depicts modern emotional concepts through a minimalist direct storytelling. Boasting solid narrative skills, precise rhythm control, the film delivers a dramatically engaging and highly tense viewing experience. Breathtaking outdoor cinematography creates a striking contrast between the grandeur of the Alps and the subtleties of human nature. The four leads deliver authentic, natural performances with striking emotional intensity, fully capturing the moral dilemma of each character as "both a victim and a perpetrator". The sharp dialogues and meticulously crafted characters not only offer an incisive dissection of human imperfection, but ultimately illuminate the transcendence of humanity.

Once a celebrated screen lead, he is now asked to portray an eccentric and unlikable supporting role.

A Georgian movie star, who has been long absent from the screen, arrives for an audition of a young female director, and leaves unconvinced and even somewhat offended. He mocks the young director's ambition, dismissing her work as a feeble endeavor to "force into her debut film the sparse philosophy she has accumulated over her brief life". However, as the story unfolds, he finds himself increasingly captivated by the allure of the unfamiliar and unknown. A profound awakening takes place within, setting in motion an irreversible journey of personal metamorphosis.

Director Ana Urushadze has long-standing ties with BJIFF. In 2018, with her debut feature Scary Mother, she swept both Tiantan Award for Best Feature Film and Tiantan Award for Best Actress at the 8th BJIFF. Seven years later, returning with a new work to compete for the "Tiantan Award" again, she elevates the superficial premise of the "supporting role" into a deeply meaningful metaphor for life with a more assured and poised cinematic voice. The wandering narrative lets the characters drift between nightfall, memories, and illusions, allowing the film to transcend mere critique of success to confront the universal dilemmas of ordinary people.

In a small wave-washed town in Malaysia, the arrival of a mysterious English teacher disrupts the previously tranquil life of twin brothers who rely on each other, even straining their once unbreakable bond. Director Woo Ming Jin is a leading figure in Malaysian film industry. Following the Stone Turtle which was nominated for the International Competition at Locarno Film Festival and won FIPRESCI Prize, he returns to dissect the gravity of youth with his refined cinematic language. Worth noting is that Woo Ming Jin, as a twin himself, infuses the film with innate emotional resonance.

Dian Sastrowardoyo, who plays the English teacher, is a benchmark of real talent in the Indonesian film industry, and a recipient of Best Actress awards at both the Singapore International Film Festival and the Deauville Asian Film Festival. She delivers a layered performance that balances strictness and tenderness, fragility and resilience, anchoring the entire story. The two newcomer actors portraying the twins captivate the audience with their natural and lively performances. Amidst the salty sea breeze, they sketch out a youthful storm of love, loyalty, and growth.

A seemingly trivial argument becomes the breaking point for Marta and Antonio. Everything changes when Marta realizes that her poor appetite is not due to heartbreak, but health issues: the taste of food, the music in her ears, her desires, and even her certainty about the choice she once made is no longer so firm.

Director Isabel Coixet is one of Spain’s most prolific and award-winning female directors, having won ten Goya Awards, the Spain's National Cinematography Award in 2020, and European Film Academy Honorary Award in 2023. In this film, she once again deconstructs the intricate fabric of modern relationships with innovative narration, reflecting quietly on love and life choices. The story unfolds slowly like the ancient streets of Rome, and the details showcase the director's superb creativity.

The film also boasts a stellar cast joined by Alba Rohrwacher, the lead actress of My Brilliant Friend, and Cannes Best Actor Elio Germano. Their nuanced and restrained performances elevate a seemingly understated romance to profound emotional resonance.

In an old apartment in St. Petersburg, a couple of intellectuals in their seventies live together in quiet companionship. They talk about art, quote classics, and reminisce about the past to the melodies of old records. Their children live far away in a foreign country, and the daily life is fraught with trivialities and inconveniences, but they always remain wise, composed, optimistic, and forgiving.

Director Andrei Zaitsev, winner of the Tiantan Award for Best Director at the 11th BJIFF with his A Siege Diary, focuses his lens on the life of a real couple with over sixty years of marriage, gazing tenderly at aging, loneliness and companionship. Two Russian national treasures, Svetlana Kryuchkova and Aleksandr Adabashyan, deliver masterful and natural performances that anchor the entire film. Every expression and line of them radiate a genuine luster tempered by time.

Perhaps the most endearing element of the entire film is the dog that always stays by their side. It is the warmest presence in this family and the most loyal listener on screen.

Doctor Elsa harbors a hidden secret: she is born with a rare gift that allows her to see beings invisible to ordinary eyes and help them complete their unfulfilled wishes. Believing this gift will only bring alienation, she renounces love and lives a secluded life dedicated to work, until she meets Oscar...

Director Alice Vial won César Award for Best Short Film with The Winkles and her co-written screenplay The Innocents was nominated for César Award for Best Original Screenplay at Sundance Film Festival. With You Found Me, she demonstrates mature command of genre filmmaking, infusing the classic framework of "human-ghost romance" with existential thinking. Breaking away from traditional narratives of sacrifice and sorrow, she tells a gentle story of letting go and self-healing in a fantasy setting.

French high-profile comedian Jonathan Cohen takes on dual roles as producer and star in this film. Setting aside his signature absurdist and nonsensical comedy, he delivers a nuanced performance that combines humor and deep emotion, breathing vibrant life and captivating complexity into the pivotal role of Oscar.

These are the detailed introductions to official selections of Tiantan Award Main Competition at this BJIFF.

“Northernmost Beijing, fairest Huairou.” In April, spring blooms adorn the Temple of Heaven, while films illuminate the capital. The jury for this edition of "Tiantan Award" will gather at the Huairou Campus of Beijing Film Academy to watch the 16 shortlisted films. In this most scenic corner of northern Beijing, they will embark on a journey of cinematic and emotional appreciation. May every audience member who steps into the cinema find their own moment of inspiration among these sixteen luminous works.