The Beijing International Film Festival (), abbreviated BJIFF, is a

film festival A film festival is an organized, extended presentation of films in one or more movie theater, cinemas or screening venues, usually annually and in a single city or region. Some film festivals show films outdoors or online. Films may be of recent ...

Beijing Beijing, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Peking, is the capital city of China. With more than 22 million residents, it is the world's List of national capitals by population, most populous national capital city as well as ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

. Founded in 2011, along with the

Shanghai International Film Festival The Shanghai International Film Festival (SIFF, , French: ''Festival international du film de Shanghai'') is the largest film festival in Asia and China's longest-running international cinema event. The first festival was established in Octobe ...

, 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 Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * 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. 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. 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. BJIFF is organized by

China Film Administration The China Film Administration (CFA) is an One institution with two names, external name of the Publicity Department of the Chinese Communist Party. The Film Bureau of the Publicity Department is responsible for CFA's work. History In March 2018 ...

China Media Group China Media Group () also known as Voice of China, is the predominant state media company by means of radio and television broadcasting in the People's Republic of China. It was founded on 21 March 2018, as a fusion of all state-holding med ...

, and Beijing Government.

Festival programme

Official Selection Competition

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

Tiantan Award

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

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

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

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

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

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

The

Beijing College Student Film Festival Beijing College Student Film Festival, first held in 1993, is an annual event organized by Beijing Normal University and Beijing Municipal Bureau of Radio, Film and Television. It is held in April or May, and is one of the biggest film festivals ...

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

Tiantan Award

* 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

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

2012 Festival

Notable international guest speakers at the 2012 festival including

James Cameron James Francis Cameron (born August 16, 1954) is a Canadian filmmaker, who resides in New Zealand. He is a major figure in the post-New Hollywood era and often uses novel technologies with a Classical Hollywood cinema, classical filmmaking styl ...

, who unveiled the details of the upcoming ''Avatar'' sequels at the film festival;

Jim Gianopulos James N. Gianopulos () is an American businessman. He served as chairman and CEO of 20th Century Fox and chairman and CEO of Paramount Pictures until his departure in September 2021. Early life and education Gianopulos was born in 1952 in Brookl ...

Jeremy Renner Jeremy Lee Renner (born January 7, 1971) is an American actor. He began his career by appearing in independent films such as ''Dahmer (film), Dahmer'' (2002) and ''Neo Ned'' (2005), then supporting roles in bigger films, such as ''S.W.A.T. (20 ...

, Tom DeSanto,

Jon Landau Jon Landau (born May 14, 1947) is an American music critic, manager, and record producer. He has worked with Bruce Springsteen. He is the head of the nominating committee for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and received that institution's Ahme ...

, who were there to discuss co-productions between Hollywood and Chinese film studios.

2013 Festival

Notable guests at the 2013 festival includes Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy,

Paul Hanneman Paul A. Hanneman (July 21, 1936 – May 3, 2017) was an American politician who was a member of the Oregon House of Representatives. Hanneman was born in Portland, Oregon and attended Portland State University. He was a businessman, owning and o ...

Keanu Reeves Keanu Charles Reeves ( ; born September 2, 1964) is a Canadian actor and musician. The recipient of numerous accolades in a career on screen spanning four decades, he is known for his leading roles in action films, his amiable public imag ...

, and

Peter Chan Peter Ho-sun Chan (born 28 November 1962), also known as Peter Chan, is a Hong Kong-born filmmaker best known for directing films that span a wide range of genres, including romantic comedies, musical dramas, and historical epics. He is r ...

Luc Besson Luc Paul Maurice Besson (; born 18 March 1959) is a French filmmaker. He directed and produced the films '' Subway'' (1985), '' The Big Blue'' (1988), and '' La Femme Nikita'' (1990). Associated with the '' Cinéma du look'' film movement, he h ...

Jean-Jacques Annaud Jean-Jacques Annaud (; born 1 October 1943) is a French film director, screenwriter and producer. He directed ''Quest for Fire (film), Quest for Fire'' (1981), ''The Name of the Rose (film), The Name of the Rose'' (1986), ''The Bear (1988 film), ...

, and

Wolfgang Petersen Wolfgang Petersen (14 March 1941 – 12 August 2022) was a German film and television director, screenwriter, and producer. His international breakthrough was the 1981 war film (1981), which earned him Academy Award nominations for Best Directo ...

also discussed their upcoming co-productions in China at the festival.

2014 Festival

The 2014 festival saw

Jean Reno Juan Moreno y Herrera-Jiménez (born 30 July 1948), commonly known as Jean Reno (), is a French-Spanish actor. He established himself as a Leading actor, leading man of French cinema through his collaborations with director Luc Besson, and has w ...

Alfonso Cuaron Alphons (Latinized ''Alphonsus'', ''Adelphonsus'', or ''Adefonsus'') is a male given name recorded from the 8th century (Alfonso I of Asturias, r. 739–757) in the Christian successor states of the Visigothic Kingdom in the Iberian Peninsula. I ...

, Paramount Pictures COO Frederick Huntsberry,

Oliver Stone William Oliver Stone (born ) is an American filmmaker. Stone is an acclaimed director, tackling subjects ranging from the Vietnam War and American politics to musical film, musical Biographical film, biopics and Crime film, crime dramas. He has ...

, MPAA president

Christopher Dodd Christopher John Dodd (born May 27, 1944) is an American lobbyist, lawyer, and Democratic Party politician who served as a United States senator from Connecticut from 1981 to 2011. Dodd is the longest-serving senator in Connecticut's history. ...

Peter Del Vecho Peter Del Vecho (born April 6, 1958) is an American film producer at Walt Disney Animation Studios, where he is also senior vice president of production. He is best known for producing '' Frozen'' ( accolades) and '' Frozen II'' together with di ...

Carlos Saldanha Carlos Saldanha (; born 24 January 1965) is a Brazilian animator, director, producer, and voice actor of animated films who worked with Blue Sky Studios until its closure in 2021. He was the director of ''Ice Age: The Meltdown'' (2006), ''Ice Ag ...

John Woo John Woo Yu-sen ( zh, t= ; born 22 September 1946) is a Hongkongers, Hong Kong film director known as a highly influential figure in the action film genre. The recipient of various accolades, including a Hong Kong Film Awards, Hong Kong Film Award ...

Timur Bekmambetov Timur Nuruakhitovich Bekmambetov (, ; ; born 25 June 1961) is a Kazakh-born Russian film director, producer, screenwriter, and tech entrepreneur. He is best known for the fantasy epic '' Night Watch'' (2004) and the action thriller '' Wanted' ...

, Peter Ziering, Andres Vicente Gomez,

Rajkumar Hirani Rajkumar "Raju" Hirani (born 20 November 1962) is an Indian filmmaker known for his works in Hindi films. He is the recipient of several accolades, including four National Film Awards and 11 Filmfare Awards. Hirani is referred as one of the m ...

and

Jim Sheridan Jim Sheridan (born 6 February 1949) is an Irish people, Irish playwright and filmmaker. Between 1989 and 1993, Sheridan directed three critically acclaimed films set in Ireland, ''My Left Foot'' (1989), ''The Field (1990 film), The Field'' (19 ...

. The festival also saw a large representation from the

BFI The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves filmmaking and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery to encourage film production, d ...

, the British Film Commission and BBC, who are aiming for a closer co-production agreement with China.

2015 Festival

The 2015 festival saw

Arnold Schwarzenegger Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger (born July30, 1947) is an Austrian and American actor, businessman, former politician, and former professional bodybuilder, known for his roles in high-profile action films. Governorship of Arnold Schwarzenegger, ...

, and

Darren Aronofsky Darren Aronofsky (born February 12, 1969) is an American Filmmaking, filmmaker. His films are noted for their surreal, dramatic, and often disturbing elements, frequently in the form of psychological realism. His accolades include a Golden Lion ...

attend the event in April.

2016 Festival

The 2016 festival saw

Natalie Portman Natalie Hershlag{{efn, Some Hebrew sources claim that her birth name was "Neta-Lee Hershleg" ({{langx, he, נטע-לי הרשלג) and later, her first name was Americanized to "Natalie". {{Cite news , last=Shamir , first=Oron , date=August ...

, and

Christoph Waltz Christoph Waltz (; born 4 October 1956) is an Austrian and German actor. Primarily active in the United States, he gained international recognition for his portrayal of villainous and supporting roles in English-language films. His accolades i ...

as well as Brett Ratner, Sam Raimi, Yojiro Takita, Giuseppe Tornatore and Iain Smith attend the event in April.

2018 Festival

2019 Festival

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

2020 Festival

The 2020 Festival was postponed owing to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. It was later held from August 22 to the 29th.

2021 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.

2022 Festival

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

2023 Festival

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

2024 Festival

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

2025 Festival

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

Censorship

Amid increasing criticism of China's tightening of censorship, the 2018 Festival attracted controversy when

Chinese Government The government of the People's Republic of China is based on a system of people's congress within the parameters of a Unitary state, unitary communist state, in which the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) enacts its policies through people's ...

censors banned the Festival from screening the Oscar-winning ''

Call Me by Your Name (film) ''Call Me by Your Name'' () is a 2017 coming-of-age romantic drama film directed by Luca Guadagnino. Its screenplay, by James Ivory, who also co-produced, is based on the 2007 novel by André Aciman. The film is the final installment in Guad ...

,'' throwing a spotlight on

LGBT rights in China Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) people in the China, People's Republic of China (PRC) face legal and social challenges that are not experienced by non-LGBTQ residents. While both male and female same-sex sexual activity a ...

. In 2014, China had shut down the

Beijing Independent Film Festival The Beijing Independent Film Festival () is an annual independent film festival that took place in Songzhuang, China from 2004 to 2014. It has a history of being challenged by the Chinese authorities. The organizer of the event is the Li Xianting ...

, and in January 2020, The China Independent Film Festival (CIFF) shut down operations, citing censorship concerns.Goh, Brenda. (11 January 2020)
Independent film festival in China shuts, says 'impossible' to pursue independence
''

Reuters Reuters ( ) is a news agency owned by Thomson Reuters. It employs around 2,500 journalists and 600 photojournalists in about 200 locations worldwide writing in 16 languages. Reuters is one of the largest news agencies in the world. The agency ...

''.

Deutschland Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen constituent states have a total population of over 84 m ...

Festival programme

Official Selection Competition

Tiantan Award

Forward Future

Beijing Film Panorama

Beijing Film Market

Theme Forum

Film Master Class

Beijing College Student Film Festival

Awards

Tiantan Award

Forward Future

2012 Festival

2013 Festival

2014 Festival

2015 Festival

2016 Festival

2018 Festival

2019 Festival

2020 Festival

2021 Festival

2022 Festival

2023 Festival

2024 Festival

2025 Festival

Censorship

References

See also