Beijing International Film Festival

Film festival in Beijing China

Beijing International Film FestivalLocation| Beijing, China

|

Founded| 2011
Awards|

* Tiantan Award
* Future Forward Award

Hosted by| China Film Administration, China Media Group, Beijing Government
Website| www.bjiff.com/enHome/
Current: 2024

2025

2023

The Beijing International Film Festival (Chinese: 北京国际电影节), abbreviated BJIFF, is a film festival in Beijing, China. Founded in 2011, along with the Shanghai International Film Festival, it is one of China's two biggest film festivals.

The festival is one of the world's most prominent film festivals. Since its launch, it has been heavily attended by Hollywood executives, directors, producers, and studio heads, as well as filmmakers and actors from all over the world. It serves as an international venue for different cultures around the globe to communicate.[1][2][3]

The festival has two in-competition sections. The Tiantan Award Competition aims is to promote diversity in world cinema, and the Forward Future Competition aims to highlight first second features.[4]

As China's box office has expanded exponentially over the past decade, the festival aims to provide a high-profile forum for the interaction between the Chinese and the international film industries.[5]

BJIFF is organized by China Film Administration, China Media Group, and Beijing Government.

## Festival programme

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### Official Selection Competition

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The two in-competition, official sections are the Tiantan and the Forward Future.[6]

#### Tiantan Award

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The "Tiantan Award" was established in 2012 and began its selection process in 2013. The award adheres to the value concept of “unity of man and nature, beauty shared by all.” It is evaluated with an international perspective, standardized procedures, and professional standards. The judges are composed of masters and celebrities from the international film industry. The award aims to discover and collect the latest and best works worldwide, encourage film diversity, and serve as the highest award for the Beijing International Film Festival.

The design concept of the Tiantan Award trophy originates from the core value concept of “unity of man and nature, beauty shared by all”. The overall height of the trophy is 45 cm, with a base height of 9 cm and a cup height of 36 cm, both multiples of “9”, which symbolizes the highest honor of the Tiantan Award. The homophonic sound of “9” means “long-lasting” and means people admire for auspiciousness.

#### Forward Future

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The "Forward Future" section was established in 2014 to encourage innovative spirit in film-making, stimulating creativity in film art; discovering and promoting new filmmakers; capturing trends and tendencies in international film; showcase rich and diverse cultural connotations in film art; enhance cooperation and communication among young filmmakers from various countries. This section is dedicated to encouraging new directors and originality. The films selected must be the director's first or second feature-length films.

### Beijing Film Panorama

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The Beijing Film Panorama is one of the most popular sections for moviegoers at the Beijing International Film Festival. Hundreds of domestic and foreign films are screened at dozens of participating cinemas in Beijing during this event. It includes over ten sub-sections, such as Jury Chairman, Classic Restoration, Tribute to Filmmakers, Focus Filmmakers, Global Vision, Chinese Power, etc., and nearly a hundred main creative meetings for audiences. It is one of the largest international film festivals in China.

### Beijing Film Market

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The Beijing Film Market was formerly known as the “Film Market”. Since 2019 it has been renamed as the “Beijing Film Market”. It includes sections such as investment promotion exhibitions, project investment financing, industry dialogues, special events, signing ceremonies, film promotion meetings, etc., with a theme of “displaying, promoting, communicating, and trading”. It builds three significant platforms for “film elements”, “project investment” and “copyright trading”, covering the entire film industry chain to promote the development of the film industry. It is one of Asia’s most active film markets.

### Theme Forum

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The Beijing Planning · Theme Forum aims to promote international exchanges on film concepts, art, and technology; enhance China’s understanding and reference to the global film industry; promote domestic and foreign film cooperation; explore the latest developments in film art and technology.

#### Film Master Class

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The Film Master Class invites outstanding filmmakers from China and abroad to give lectures on topics such as their experience with filmmaking, their ideas on filmmaking, opportunities and challenges in film development, etc., share their most authentic career paths and most valuable life experiences, inherit the precious spiritual wealth of images and stories. It serves as a bridge between filmmakers and moviegoers.

### Beijing College Student Film Festival

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The Beijing College Student Film Festival was founded in 1993. It aims to inspire college students’ attention to Chinese films; discover young talents among college students in film theory and criticism; promote talent cultivation reserve for Chinese film theory talents; develop a Chinese film criticism career. Since its establishment in 2011 by Beijing International Film Festival, it has been merged into one of its parallel sections.

## Awards

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### Tiantan Award

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* Best Feature Film
* Best Director
* Best Artistic Contribution
* Best Leading Actor
* Best Leading Actress
* Best Supporting Actor
* Best Supporting Actress
* Best Screenplay
* Best Cinematography
* Best Music

### Forward Future

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* Best Film
* Best Director
* Best Screenplay
* Best Actress
* Best Actor
* Best Artistic Contribution
* Jury Special Mention

## 2012 Festival

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Notable international guest speakers at the 2012 festival including James Cameron,[7] who unveiled the details of the upcoming Avatar sequels at the film festival;[7] Jim Gianopulos,[8] Jeremy Renner, Tom DeSanto, Jon Landau, who were there to discuss co-productions between Hollywood and Chinese film studios.

## 2013 Festival

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Notable guests at the 2013 festival includes Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy,[9] Paul Hanneman,[9] Keanu Reeves,[9] and Peter Chan.[9] Luc Besson, Jean-Jacques Annaud, and Wolfgang Petersen also discussed their upcoming co-productions in China at the festival.[9]

## 2014 Festival

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The 2014 festival saw Jean Reno, Alfonso Cuaron,[10] Paramount Pictures COO Frederick Huntsberry,[11] Oliver Stone, MPAA president Christopher Dodd, Peter Del Vecho, Carlos Saldanha, John Woo,[12] Timur Bekmambetov, Peter Ziering, Andres Vicente Gomez, Rajkumar Hirani and Jim Sheridan.[13] The festival also saw a large representation from the BFI, the British Film Commission and BBC, who are aiming for a closer co-production agreement with China.[14]

## 2015 Festival

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The 2015 festival saw Arnold Schwarzenegger,[15] and Darren Aronofsky[16] attend the event in April.

## 2016 Festival

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The 2016 festival saw Natalie Portman,[17] and Christoph Waltz[18] as well as Brett Ratner, Sam Raimi, Yojiro Takita, Giuseppe Tornatore and Iain Smith attend the event in April.[19]

## 2018 Festival

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Main article: 8th Beijing International Film Festival

## 2019 Festival

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The 2019 festival was held from April 13 to the 20th.

## 2020 Festival

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The 2020 Festival was postponed owing to the COVID-19 pandemic.[20] It was later held from August 22 to the 29th.

## 2021 Festival

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Main article: 11th Beijing International Film Festival

The 11th Beijing International Film Festival, which was originally scheduled for August 14 to 21, and postponed in the aftermath of COVID-19, was held from the 21 to 29 September 2021.[21]

## 2022 Festival

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The 12th Beijing International Film Festival was held from August 13 to 20, 2022

## 2023 Festival

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The 13th Beijing International Film Festival was held from April 25 to 27, 2023[22]

## 2024 Festival

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Main article: 14th Beijing International Film Festival

The 14th edition of the festival was scheduled to be held April 18-26, 2024.[23]

## 2025 Festival

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Main article: 15th Beijing International Film Festival

The 15th edition of the festival was scheduled to be held April 17-27, 2025

## Censorship

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Amid increasing criticism[24][25] of China's tightening of censorship, the 2018 Festival attracted controversy when Chinese Government censors banned the Festival from screening the Oscar-winning Call Me by Your Name (film),[26][27] throwing a spotlight on LGBT rights in China. In 2014, China had shut down the Beijing Independent Film Festival,[28][29] and in January 2020, The China Independent Film Festival (CIFF) shut down operations, citing censorship concerns.[30]

## References

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1. ^ "Stars turn out for the 8th annual Beijing International Film Festival". AsiaOne. Archived from the original on April 17, 2018.
2. ^ "Stars turn out for the 8th annual Beijing International Film Festival". The Straits Times. April 16, 2018.
3. ^ "Lure of Biz in China Pulls Execs to Beijing Film Fest". Variety.date=2013-04-16.
4. ^ "14th Beijing International Film Festival – Call for Entry 2024". Asian Film Festivals. Retrieved April 4, 2024.
5. ^ "Beijing Film Festival Brings Hollywood Power Players, Classic Cinema to China". The Hollywood Reporter. April 14, 2014.
6. ^ "14th Beijing International Film Festival – Call for Entry 2024". Asian Film Festivals. Retrieved April 4, 2024.
7. ^ a b "James Cameron Considers Teaming With China for 'Avatar' Sequels (Q&A)". The Hollywood Reporter. April 26, 2012.
8. ^ "Beijing Film Festival Champions International Co-Productions". The Hollywood Reporter. April 24, 2012.
9. ^ a b c d e "Hollywood Descends on China for Beijing International Film Festival".
10. ^ "Beijing Film Fest: Alfonso Cuaron Talks 3D Strategies, Next Project". The Hollywood Reporter.
11. ^ "Beijing Film Festival Brings Hollywood Power Players, Classic Cinema to China". The Hollywood Reporter.
12. ^ "Beijing: John Woo Talks U.S.-China Collaboration, Hollywood Lessons, Next Two Films (Q&A)". The Hollywood Reporter.
13. ^ "Beijing Film Fest Confirms Chris Dodd, Alfonso Cuaron, Oliver Stone to Attend".
14. ^ "Leading British Film Group in Beijing to Explore Closer Ties With China". The Hollywood Reporter.
15. ^ "Beijing Film Fest: Schwarzenegger says he'll be back".
16. ^ "Beijing Film Fest: exploring new opportunities".
17. ^ "Beijing Film Fest2016: Natalie Portman looks stunning".
18. ^ "Beijing Film Fest 2016: exploring new opportunities".
19. ^ "Beijing Film Fest2016: Top talent attend festival".
20. ^ Davis, Rebecca. (March 9, 2020). Beijing International Film Festival Indefinitely Postponed Due to Coronavirus. Variety (magazine). Los Angeles
21. ^ Wang Yifan (September 7, 2021). "11th Beijing International Film Festival to open on Sept. 21". Ecns.cn (in Korean). Chinanews. Retrieved September 7, 2021.
22. ^ "13th Beijing International Film Festival Opens, Celebrates Era in All Its Glory, and Feeds "Beijing Approach" into World Cinema". Yahoo News. April 24, 2023. Retrieved April 3, 2024.
23. ^ "Beijing International Film Festival to open mid-April". Xinhua. March 28, 2024. Retrieved April 2, 2024.
24. ^ (6 August 2020). Hollywood censors films to appease China, report suggests. BBC News. United Kingdom
25. ^ Tager, James. Made in Hollywood, Censored by Beijing. PEN America. New York City
26. ^ Pei Li and Adam Jourdan. (26 March 2018). Beijing festival pulls award-winning gay film amid content squeeze. Reuters.
27. ^ Ho, Pang-Chieh. (5 April 2018). Gay romance ‘Call Me By Your Name’ pulled from Beijing International Film Festival. SupChina. Beijing,
28. ^ Didi Tang. (24 August 2014). China shuts down Beijing Independent Film Festival. AP News. New York City
29. ^ Kaiman, Jonathan. (24 August 2014). Beijing independent film festival shut down by Chinese authorities. The Guardian. London, UK
30. ^ Goh, Brenda. (11 January 2020). Independent film festival in China shuts, says 'impossible' to pursue independence[dead link]. Reuters. Deutschland

## See also

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* Beijing Independent Film Festival, an independent film festival in the same city
* List of film festivals in China

* v
* t
* e

Film festivals in China

Mainland|

* Beijing College Student Film Festival
* ~~Beijing Independent Film Festival~~
* Beijing International Film Festival
* Beijing Queer Film Festival
* BigScreen Festival
* Changchun Film Festival
* China Golden Rooster and Hundred Flowers Film Festival
* China International New Media Short Film Festival
* CINEMQ
* FIRST International Film Festival
* Guangzhou International Documentary Film Festival
* Hainan Island International Film Festival
* Pingyao International Film Festival
* Shanghai International Film Festival
* ShanghaiPRIDE Film Festival
* Shanghai Queer Film Festival
* Silk Road International Film Festival

Hong Kong|

* Hong Kong Asian Film Festival
* Hong Kong Independent Short Film and Video Awards (IFVA)
* Hong Kong International Film Festival
* Hong Kong Lesbian & Gay Film Festival

Macau|

* Macau International Movie Festival

* Category for film festivals in China

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