Lights, Camera, Action: The Belt and Road Film Festival Alliance

Based on the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2013, the Belt and Road Film Festival Alliance and the Belt and Road Film Week were founded at the 21st Shanghai International Film Festival (SIFF) in June 2018. In the past five years membership of the alliance has grown from 31 film institutions in 29 countries to 55 institutions in 48 countries. It provides an international platform for filmmakers to jointly improve the ability of film curation, promote mutual understanding and cooperation, and explore development models of film festivals.

SIFF is the first competitive feature film festival in China. With its influence in the world, SIFF has helped the alliance and the film week gain a reputation in China and other BRI countries. It not only enables Chinese audiences and filmmakers to see a large number of films from BRI countries, but also provides filmmakers more opportunities to show their works and create new opportunities for cooperation on the international stage.

Over the past five years, there have been countless cultural exchanges through films. In 2018, the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival screened films from BRI countries. Chinese films, Absurd Accident directed by Li Yuhe and Soul on a String directed by Zhang Yang, were shown. Jointly produced by Lebanon, France, and the U.S., Capernaum was seen by Chinese audiences at the Belt and Road Film Week in Shanghai in 2018. After its 2019 release in China’s mainland, the film earned RMB 376 million at the box office. Meanwhile, Chinese director Zheng Dasheng was a jury member of the CineFest Miskolc International Film Festival in 2019, and Chinese actress and producer Zhao Tao sat on the jury of the Durban International Film Festival in 2022.

These exchanges and cooperation are the original intention of the alliance and film week. With increasing interactions between film festivals in BRI countries, the scope of film exchange is expanding, and the mechanisms of mutual sharing and promotion for filmmakers are also playing a greater role.

Sha Dan, curator of the China Film Archive, said that the film week is a very valuable platform. The members of the alliance can easily connect with SIFF and show their works to Chinese audiences promptly. It also forms a film ecosystem integrating film festivals, film distribution, and art cinemas.

Spreading Chinese Stories

The films exhibited in the Belt and Road Film Week are those recommended by alliance members and then selected by SIFF experts to ensure the diversity of categories and high quality of production. In the past five years, the film week has shown 91 films by 95 directors from 46 countries, including 23 female directors. It has also included 49 independently produced films from 31 countries, 40 overseas co-production films, and one film co-produced by China and a foreign country.

A cross-cultural communication research report jointly released by the School of Journalism of Fudan University and Shanghai International Film and TV Festivals Center at the Belt and Road Film Week in June 2023 says that Chinese films pay attention to seeking common values. They cover wide global themes such as the family and kinship, and humans and nature. In terms of aesthetic style, the films have moved away from the stylized sensory stimulation of Western commercial films, in favor of national and Eastern beauty, leaving the audience to think more about what they have seen.

The report also says that among the exhibited Chinese films at the film week, those themed on ethnic minorities account for the highest proportion, at 31 percent, while family dramas rank second with 28 percent. “For example, Girls Always Happy tells a story about the relationship between a mother and daughter, Sister is about family love, Ala Changso explores the meaning of life through a family journey in Lhasa, and Anima tells the story of a lumberjack protecting a primitive forest in northeast China. All these films are focused on international trends and global issues, so they can resonate with cross-cultural communication,” said Tang Jun, a researcher at the School of Journalism of Fudan University. He also said that interviews and surveys indicate that these types of films will be popular among BRI countries and overseas audiences.

Some Chinese filmmakers and people working in related industries have come up with the idea of adapting their own stories into films. A woman surnamed Wang, who works in a cultural communication enterprise in the Shanghai International Resort, said: “My work relates to offline drama in the theater. After I noticed the platform of the film week, I feel my drama can be adapted into a film and participate in festivals and competitions in the future.”

Hearing International Voices

While spreading Chinese stories, the film week has also provided a platform for members of the alliance to communicate and cooperate with each other, showing the diversity of the world in the Chinese market.

Indonesian director Kamila Andini’s third film Yuni was screened during the film week in June 2023. She usually focuses on Indonesian themes in local languages, but the language difference does not hinder her films from being shown in China. “Although many differences exist between cultures, there are also many commonalities that people can understand. There are over 300 dialects in Indonesia, and we use these dialects to express and convey emotions along with gestures and cultural signals. I believe that these dialects can showcase the diversity of films. I usually make movies in local languages, and am surprised that so many audiences can become emotionally connected with my local stories, regardless of language. Therefore, I think this not only applies in Indonesia, but also globally,” said Andini.

Sha Dan said that individuality is a prominent feature of the film festival. “It has gathered many audiences and shows them movies from countries that they are not familiar with. China has proposed many important initiatives, such as the Global Civilization Initiative and the Global Development Initiative. Films can help the audiences to learn various customs and problems of different countries, so that people can compare and communicate based on their own experiences, which can also help improve the efforts of the alliance,” said Sha.

Through the film week and the alliance, many foreign filmmakers have felt the vitality of the Chinese market. “The other day, I had a discussion with a producer and some audience members. We talked about his movie which is related to a specific region, and the producer was concerned about whether the movie could have international appeal. However, when he entered the cinema, he was surprised to find that it was fully booked. Many audience members wanted his autograph and wanted to chat with him about the movie. He was very excited as he did not expect such a reaction. This showcases the best aspect of the film week, as it fires up both the audience and the filmmakers,” said Armin Hadzic, an official of the Sarajevo Film Festival. He also praised SIFF for organizing various forums to promote the exchange among filmmakers across the world.

Tang Jun said that the film week covers the themes of humanistic care, family narrative, and common concerns in various cultures, which resonate with audiences. He also said that the value of the film week lies in the discovery of some excellent films that may not be seen at other international film festivals. The diversification of the film week makes up for their lack of market presence, due to the dominance of commercial blockbusters, and has created a doorway to break through.

Nurturing Young Filmmakers

In addition to promoting film exchanges and cooperation, international film festivals also have a goal to cultivate young filmmakers.

Project pitches, training and master classes are currently the main methods adopted by most film festivals to help cultivate young filmmakers. According to He Wenquan, general manager of Shanghai International Film and TV Festivals Co., Ltd., SIFF consists of six parts: short video, short film, venture capital, projects training, Asian New Talent, and Golden Goblet Awards. A cultivation plan for young filmmakers called SIFF YOUNG will also be launched. It will help create a feeder system for the young filmmakers of BRI countries.

The film screening during the festival is an opportunity for many young filmmakers to learn from others. The talent cultivation system has also been integrated in different sections of the festival. A new workshop for young filmmakers, launched at the film week in June 2023, invited experts from film festivals and film companies to discuss with filmmakers practical strategies for integrating content creation with international production and distribution, sharing experiences and exploring new models for future development.

“After a period of cooperation and exchange between Chinese filmmakers and international counterparts, they can find integration opportunities and form a new film style with more Chinese characteristics. This is a glorious moment when Chinese films are coming into their own,” said He.

ZHANG JINGCHAO is a reporter at China Business Journal.