Start while Young, and Return with Achievements
"We're going to keep making films even we have to raise funds by printing advertising cards, driving cars for the Didi Chuxing platform, or providing takeaway service.”
- Cast & crew of My Strange Family
Projects Rewarded in the final Beijing Film Market Project Pitches
The BJIFF Beijing Film Market Project Pitches aims to help new forces, and remove market obstacles, just like an island in the sea overlooking the brave one who surfs the waves: It always embraces good films and new forces with an open attitude.
The final Beijing Film Market Project Pitches lasted for two days (from April 19 to 20). April 19-20, with face-to-face exchange conducted with new forces of Chinese films. In the 100+ days since the launch of the project collection, a total of 769 works culminated in two rounds of evaluations spanning five months, with the participation of 8 companies for the first-round review, 3 judges for the second-round review, and 2 trainers, and finally 21 outstanding projects stood out. Five final judges rated 8 honors last night.
Scene of the final Beijing Film Market Project Pitches
Last night, this year's Project Pitches finally came to an end in bursts of applause at the honor celebration. 。
Just look back on the journey along the way while young: There are both laughter and tears, and there are solid support and resources for young filmmakers.
▌Funds for new forces: support funds to help filmmakers build dreams
Film is a collective creation with equal emphasis on art and commerce, and sufficient funding is the primary nutrient for a good story to take root and flourish.
This year’s BJIFF Project Pitches have introduced the "Beijing Culture Guiding Fund” for the first time to set up a broader platform for young filmmakers and provide more opportunities through strong cooperation, achieving the purpose of "introducing a project and making a film", making it a project support brand with "Beijing characteristics", and jointly helping the construction of a film power.
Scene of the final Beijing Film Market Project Pitches
In addition to official funding support, there were also moving stories of jurors taking out personal funds to help the project implementation: In the final Beijing Film Market Project Pitches held on April 20, juror Da Peng was moved by the outstanding project and decided to privately fund 500,000 yuan, and has contacted the project party later. It is true that funding is an important condition to promote the success of the project on the screen and into the theater, but perhaps the value of mutual love between filmmakers can be higher than that of money, so that the art of film will never lose the milk of human kindness.
▌Shining new stars: List outstanding projects, and record new forces
A total of 21 outstanding projects in this year’s Project Pitches went through multiple screenings and entered the final round to express their creativity and ambition, highlights and perturbations to jurors.
Outstanding projects include suspense crime narratives: Breathe under the Ice, Who Was There, Three Days, Accomplice, Naraka in Obsession... The story reverses, reverses, and reverses again, and in the unexpected ups and downs, trust and suspicion, hate and love, are expressed step by step.
Being rooted in reality and listening to the ups and downs of the human world are also the consensus from young filmmakers. Here We Go, The Adventures of Rabbit Ears--Forward Deer, Two Drifters After The Same Rainbow, The Man Without Desire, My Strange Family, Another Green World, My Way, The Lost Daughter… Under the tide of the era, the warmth and sadness of nobodies, like a trickling stream, flows quietly.
Scene of excellent project pitches
In addition, the focus of the filmmakers is unique, closely related to history, geography, and culture - Tung Hwa Football Club intends to be shot as an "epic football film" that contains the genes of the family and the country; Guangde Theater focuses on Beijing Opera, close to the roots of traditional culture; Tashi takes Tibetan culture as the background, grasping the sincere and simple pulse of the soul in the details of life...
One idea after another becomes clearer in warm and honest conversations. They are like a small wooden boat, getting tougher and stronger in storms. Now the boat is in the harbor, waiting to set out; in the future, the boat will surely ride the wind and waves, and finally "go home” full of honor.
▌Serve as a willing ox: The jury helps the filmmakers grow with tailored solution
In the process of face-to-face and in-depth communication with young filmmakers, the jurors who came to the scene were sometimes moved and sometimes strict, but they always had a common expectation and a tacit love for new filmmakers.
For Stanley Kwan, president of the jury, Project Pitches is like a directing lesson - "When I communicate with young filmmakers, I find the joy and satisfaction brought to me very interesting... I feel like I am back in the classroom and sharing the same space with my students; it is enjoyable”.
Stanley Kwan
Da Peng inspires new filmmakers to pay attention to audience resonance by reinterpreting "self-entertainment", "because you can move the audience first by letting yourself get moved, and you can let more audiences be moved by your story".
Da Peng
This year is Liu Haoran's 10th year in the industry, and it is the first time for him to serve as a Project Pitches juror. In the communication, he repeatedly mentioned the details of script creation and how to establish the sense of truth of the story. At the award ceremony, he also said, "For all the young creators, the wonderful two days are about to pass by, and the next may be a cruel moment of disclosure. However, for the creators who won or didn't win, I would like to offer my best wishes and help.”
Liu Haoran
For Derek Tsang, his own career development has given him multiple perspectives when evaluating projects - "because I started as a script supervisor, assistant director, and later as an actor. So I can think, read the script and think about the production from an actor/actress's point of view.”
Derek Tsang
As a creator in the field of commercial film creation, Zhang Mo also expressed her understanding of commercial value when discussing film evaluation criteria, "For commercial value, on the one hand, whether it can attract good actors, whether there are enough quality actors to play the story; on the other hand, whether it can take into consideration the present, the so-called present values and preferences.”
Zhang Mo
Zhang Ji, Beijing Film Market Art Director, always cared about the creators in details while promoting the Project Pitches.
Every juror truly cheers for and is excited for young filmmakers.
▌Meeting for honor: Start here, and wait for returning home
Last night, when honors of the Project Pitches were released, potential filmmakers won their deserved awards -
Every honor is a sincere praise, so that the new filmmakers are encouraged to go forward. Cast & crew of My Strange Family have shown their determination in a rather cute, yet passionate way - "We're going to keep making films even we have to raise funds by printing advertising cards, driving cars for the Didi Chuxing platform, or providing takeaway service.”
This year’s Project Pitches honor ceremony is a gathering of old friends with the keyword of "going home".
The BJIFF is like a flourish offshore island: Those who dare to break the waves arrive here with their new works, draw strength, complete transformation, break the ground like a seed, and then run to the vast ocean with the current of unlimited opportunity. Finally, the wave breakers will eventually return to this island that is always open to excellent filmmakers with a more mature attitude, feeding it, stunning it and enriching it.
Last night, Larry Yang (Mountain Cry), Gu Xiaogang (Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains), Xu Lei (Summer Detective), Bai Zhiqiang (Wisdom Tooth), and Li Pu (Undoing Time) returned to the "new home" of the Project Pitches, and shared their inner feelings and expectations at the scene.
Scene of the final Beijing Film Market Project Pitches
Larry Yang left the Project Pitches in 2014, and today, he is "home" again. He exclaims over the development of the Project Pitches in the past decade - "In the past decade, I really have the honor to witness the Project Pitches platform becoming more and more large-scale, more and more excellent projects are showed here, and the dreams of many young filmmakers are comforted and encouraged here", and he also gave a motto to the new creators at the scene: "They who love it are better than those who know it, and they who delight in it are better than those who love it", encouraging everyone to think, to create, and to be excellent.
Larry Yang
For Gu Xiaogang, this year is also the year for him to return to the BJIFF; he has served as a juror of the Forward Future section, and directed the BJIFF theme film short film As Spring Comes Along, and his new work Dwelling by the West Lake was screened as the opening film. At the ceremony, he said, "Through the BJIFF helps us to reunite, meet each other, and cheer for the road ahead. We, as filmmakers, did not expect that life is like a movie following some scripts, or there some positive energies, achieving and confirming our dreams little by little. Maybe other directors attended this ceremony today will also get home here on the stage.” In addition, he also shared his own experience, "Working with perseverance is more important than anything!”
Gu Xiaogang
Xu Lei adopted a humorous way to review his fate with the Project Pitches, "Project Pitches is particularly good, requiring little information for registration. That is the reason why I signed up.” Thanks to the Project Pitches... I think it's hard to make films, so the encouragement from the Project Pitches is especially important. The BJIFF is a blessing for me, and I hope it is a blessing for all of you, continuing to make films smoothly.”
Xu Lei
Bai Zhiqiang compared the Project Pitches to a "ladder" and "a place that brings young filmmakers closer to our dreams.” For young filmmakers' vigorous words, Bai Zhiqiang is even moved - "Today, I especially want to give my best wishes the winners. We are together, and will support and encourage each other. Bless you.” There are only a few words, which are full of affection and love.
Bai Zhiqiang
Li Pu started from the 12th Project Pitches, has worked hard all the way, and now returns to the BJIFF again filled with joy. "I would like to thank the BJIFF for its continued attention and support over the past two years, and for offering selfless help to take our project a great step forward.” He also gave the young filmmakers a down-to-earth blessing: "I wish everyone can start the shooting as soon as possible and complete as soon as possible. I am also a young filmmaker, I often use the four sentences to encourage myself, which I share them with you now: Maintain passion, maintain confidence, rave to start, and brave to express!”
Li Pu
Dear young filmmakers, the BJIFF congratulates you on today's achievements, and wishes you a better future!
Gao Yunchao, Deputy Director of the Beijing Olympic City Development Center
Little seeds germinate here; when we meet again, they must be luxuriant.
Let us meet again with achievement in the exciting future of light and shadow!
Group photo of the final Beijing Film Market Project Pitches
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