Venue: Grand Ballroom, Beijing Yanqi Lake International Convention & Exhibition Center

Keynote speaker:

Yonfan, brought up in Chinese mainland, Taiwan and Hong Kong, China, with ancestry in Hengshan, Hunan, studied in Europe and the United States. He was once devoted to music and dance, but started photography and film directing when returning to Hong Kong. His photographic works encompass the hinterland and Tibet in China before the Reform and Opening up, modern art and literature, and opera and film artists. His films are known for exquisite and elegant shots, and presentation of perplexed, sad and beautiful love. As a connoisseur of calligraphies and paintings, he’s closely involved with major collectors, galleries and auction houses. He donated paintings from Qing and Ming dynasties and by Zhang Daqian, to the Musée Guimet Paris.

In recent years, Yonfan is dedicated to writing. His publications include the Intermission, Intoxication, Incantation, Fu Hwa, Liu Jin, Romantica, Backstreet of Cherry Lane, No.7 Cherry Lane–A Film by Yonfan, and No.7 Cherry Lane–Return the Time Lost.

He started preparations for the animated feature film No.7 Cherry Lane, launched production in 2014, and completed the film in 2019. The film earned him a second nomination for the Competition section of the 76th Venice International Film Festival, and won the Award for Best Screenplay.

Panelist:

Wenchi Lin, former curator of the Chinese Taipei Film Archive, former Dean of the College of Liberal Arts, National Central University, and Visiting Professor of the University of Chicago. His publications include the Compilation of Film Critics by Wenchi Lin, Passionate Detachment: Films of Hou Hsiao-hsien and Moments in Films: Cities, History and Aesthetics in Films of Hou Hsiao-hsien, etc.