On September 24, the eighth Pingyao International Film Festival officially opened in Pingyao, Shanxi. This year, the festival started earlier than previous years, with pleasant temperatures providing a better experience for the audience. The film screenings are exciting and rich in content, showcasing a high number of premieres and outstanding films, reflecting the rise of new talent in the film industry. With the theme "This Soil," the festival will present a total of 52 feature films, 39 short films, and six academic activities over the next seven days.

Rising Temperatures, Bursting with Excitement

This year's Pingyao International Film Festival is uniquely characterized as a "warm and spirited" event, arriving a bit earlier than usual. During the "Opening Curtain" dialogue event held on the morning of the opening day, founder Jia Zhangke discussed some of the changes for this year.

In the previous seven editions, the film festival took place in mid-October, when Pingyao transitions into late autumn, resulting in significant temperature drops at night. "Today, everyone can enjoy outdoor movies from their winter coats to thick jackets under the sunny sky," Jia expressed his delight at the changes in viewing conditions, envisioning, "The largest outdoor cinema, with a platform of 1,500 seats, could accommodate one screening a night, and eventually two or three." Jia even whimsically suggested that since the Pingyao Film Festival is lively and free-spirited, the organizers might even consider an all-night screening as the festival comes to a close.

Event scene

Pingyao has always been a great place for watching films, and this year's official screening lineup is stunning. The audience is treated to a public screening of films under the title "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," featuring award-winning and nominated works from this year's mainstream international film festivals. The premiere statistics are also impressive, with 44.7% of the films having their global premiere, 73.7% making their Asian debut, and 89.5% premiering in China, while the rate for premieres in mainland China is 100%. Among them, eight nominated films are the first feature-length works by emerging directors, showcasing the rise of new forces in the film industry.

Besides the warmer weather during the festival, the excitement surrounding the event has also intensified.

With growing word-of-mouth among film enthusiasts and increasing participation from stars, the Pingyao Film Festival has shown a distinct breakout effect. This year, ticketing was disrupted briefly due to a surge of users, causing server outages. Director Jia Zhangke immediately responded on social media. On the opening day, he again discussed how the rising attendance has impacted the festival.

"The development of the Pingyao Film Festival has been so rapid that it has somewhat surpassed our expectations, particularly in terms of audience enthusiasm. The ticket sales were very stable in the first six editions." However, regarding this year's "explosive" ticket sales, Jia expressed, "On one hand, I’m very happy; on the other hand, I feel anxious." He was pleased to see the audience's enthusiasm and trust in Pingyao, noting, "In the first hour, there were 24 million visits. This kind of attendance in any film festival globally, where a movie may only screen three to five times and have a maximum of 5,000 tickets available, is remarkable."

Reflecting on the original intention behind establishing the festival, Jia mentioned that he and his team envisioned Pingyao as a "small-scale film festival, keeping within 60 films, a tranquil space where everyone can fully enjoy films and focus their discussions on the films themselves." Therefore, the rapid increase in audience size has caught the organizers somewhat off guard.

Jia Zhangke

In an Era of Transformation, Reflecting on "This Soil"

This year's Pingyao International Film Festival, themed "This Soil," marks the 40th anniversary of Chen Kaige's "Yellow Earth," incorporating a relevant retrospective exhibit. This innovative curatorial approach breaks away from the traditional focus on directors or countries, presenting a unique perspective on film curation.

Still from "Yellow Earth"

Jia Zhangke praised this year's theme, saying, "People's lifestyles are becoming increasingly diverse and detached from traditional forms. With the advent of artificial intelligence, it is crucial to not only look to the future but also to seek our roots once again. During this time of transformation in the industry, I hope to encourage my peers with such a theme."

The retrospective features classic films centered on the theme of "land": from the 1930 Soviet classic "Land" to the 1963 milestone of the Brazilian new cinema movement, "The Hard Days," from Palme d'Or winners "The Tree of Wooden Clogs" and "The Conqueror's Peril" to Abbas Kiarostami's renowned work "Life and Nothing But." These films span the entire 20th century while also embracing stories from different global regions, covering countries like France, the Soviet Union, India, Japan, Brazil, Italy, Denmark, and Iran. Additionally, two Chinese films are included: the 1950s classic "Serf" directed by Li Jun and the fifth-generation filmmaker Chen Kaige's landmark work "Yellow Earth."

Regarding this remarkable lineup, Jia Zhangke expressed regret, stating, "What a pity," because his many responsibilities as festival host prevent him from fulfilling his desire to watch films as an audience member. "These films are incredibly rare, and having them screened for seven or eight days in Pingyao is a precious opportunity that everyone should cherish."

Chen Kaige receives the "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon Contribution Honor for East-West Exchange"

That evening, "Yellow Earth" illuminated the screen at Spring in the Small Town, as the film’s vast yellow land, simple people, and deep cultural heritage virtually unfolded vibrant images before the audience. At the opening ceremony, Chen Kaige accepted the "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon Contribution Honor for East-West Exchange" from the organizing committee, reflecting on how the film was shot 40 years ago in 1984, commenting, "Time passes so quickly."

He reminisced about his first encounter with this land, saying, "I had a feeling that the land, the people, the Yellow River, the roads, and that solitary tree were all nurturing something significant in the plateau... By the time this film was completed, the reform and opening-up that would change China's fate swept the nation. This film seemed to convey some hidden messages; our country and our people were yearning for change, and the film appeared to transmit some news that was received by our audience, critics, and filmmakers."

Opening Film "Nujiang" Has Its Global Premiere, Liu Jiangjiang Brings "Safe Passage" Home

That evening, the film "Nujiang" officially premiered globally as the opening film of the eighth Pingyao International Film Festival, and it is also nominated in the festival's "Hidden Dragon" section.

"Nujiang" Poster

"Nujiang" is a powerful film directed by Liu Juan, with Jia Zhangke serving as the producer and starring Wang Yanhui and Deng Enxi. The movie follows the footsteps of a father, Lao Hu, as he seeks the truth, exploring the self-redemption journey between him and his daughter, while also presenting the stories of three women, offering insight into their past, present, and future.

In the film, Deng Enxi's character, Ji Hong, uncovers old scars and escapes with Lao Hu, learning the Lisu people's "walking on blades" technique, trying to change and seize her fate. For director Liu Juan, in the turbulent tide of society, individual destiny is like a river, and bravery and righteousness have long been embedded in everyday life; the ordinary woman's "heroic moment" lies in combating violence.

On the same day, the film "Safe Passage," set to be released during the National Day holiday, held its premiere at the Pingyao film carnival. Liu Jiangjiang's debut, "Major Life Events," initially emerged from Pingyao's funding platform and ultimately achieved a box office success of 1.7 billion. Returning to Pingyao with his second feature, Liu Jiangjiang, along with lead actor Huang Xiaolei, engaged in deep discussions with the audience after the screening.

Based on true events, "Safe Passage" is viewed by the director as a script that "can offer opportunities for filmmaking to anyone," as the original event embodies the conflicts that a good story should have: "good and evil, police and criminals, absurdity and innocence."

"Safe Passage" Premiere in Pingyao

As a past participant who previously screened a film in Pingyao before successfully moving into theaters, the honoree of the Rossellini Award and director Wei Shujun shared his experience at the jury meeting, recounting how last year's "The Mistake by the River" transitioned to wider distribution after its showcase in Pingyao. "I truly believe Pingyao is a blessed ground—for new directors and young authors, it serves as a very open and expansive stage, allowing films to test the waters with film enthusiasts or seasoned insiders before officially hitting the theaters, perhaps even as an opportunity for word-of-mouth growth." The theme song from Wei Shujun's new film "Sunshine Club" also served as a celebratory closing number for the opening night.

Event scene

Over the next seven days, the eighth Pingyao International Film Festival will showcase 52 feature films, 39 short films, six "Master Dialogues” academic activities, 16 Pingyao Project screenplay projects, and 17 literary works shortlisted for the "Migration Project: From Literature to Film," all awaiting audiences.