Good news came from the upcoming Berlin Film Festival. The animated film "Ranbiwa", produced by Shanghai Film (Group) Co., Ltd. and Shanghai Animation Film Studio Co., Ltd., was shortlisted for the New Generation Kplus Competition Unit of the 75th Berlin International Film Festival. The film will make its world premiere on February 18 at the 1,000-person Hall of the World Culture Center in Berlin, Germany.

"Ranbiwa" was shortlisted for Berlin official announcement poster

Berlin's Generation Section is dedicated to showcasing outstanding films about children and adolescents from a global perspective, and has always been a section that produces many excellent works. As a finalist in this year's Generation Kplus competition section, "Ranbiwa" will compete with outstanding works from around the world for the "Crystal Bear Award for Best Film" and the "Generation Grand Prix Award for Best Film" and other awards.

Stills from "Ranbiwa"

It is reported that the story of the animated film "Ranbiwa" is based on the legend of the Qiang people. It tells the story of a monkey who grew up in a human tribe in ancient times and followed his mother Awubaji's footsteps to the sacred mountain to find the secret of "warmth". After going through thousands of dangers, he took the fire from the mouth of the "beast of fear", and his whole body was on fire and his hair fell off, and he finally became an adult. He did not have innate superpowers, but he overcame the fear of the unknown in one challenge after another, and finally gained growth. This is not only a legend about fire, but also a poetic journey that leads the audience to explore the origin of the human spirit.

Stills from "Ranbiwa"

It is worth mentioning that before "Ranbiwa", Shanghai Animation Film Studio's animated films "Three Monks" and "The Snipe and the Clam" also entered Berlin. Chinese animated films are constantly renewed in inheritance and innovation. Since its establishment in 1957, Shanghai Animation Film Studio has created countless classic works, including "The Tadpole Looking for His Mother", "Havoc in Heaven", "Nezha Conquers the Dragon King", "Mountain and Water Love", etc., which have not only profoundly influenced generations of audiences, but also won a reputation for Chinese animation on the international stage. Today, on the basis of inheriting classics, Shanghai Animation Film Studio continues to face the future and embrace diverse art forms and technological innovations.

In 1982, "Three Monks" produced by Shanghai Animation Film Studio won the Silver Bear Award for Short Film at the 32nd Berlin International Film Festival.

In 1984, the ink-and-wash animation short film "The Snipe and the Clam" produced by Shanghai Animation Film Studio won the Silver Bear Award for Short Film at the 34th Berlin International Film Festival.

"Ranbiwa" is a new work with pure Shanghai Animation Film Studio genes, and its visual style is unforgettable. As a unique 2D hand-painted animation, "Ranbiwa" uses traditional Chinese painting as a carrier, ink painting brushstrokes, bold and sharp colors and clever white space to create a primitive and mysterious visual conception. At the same time, it uses a variety of experimental animation techniques, integrating Chinese and Western styles, bringing a dazzling visual with both traditional oriental charm and modern art aesthetics to the world screen. It is an ingenious work of Shanghai Animation Film Studio in practicing the "Chinese Animation School".

Li Wenyu, the director of "Ranbiwa", studied under Shanghai Animation Film Studio's animation director Ma Xuan (one of the directors of "Mountain and Water Love" and "12 Mosquitoes and Five People"). "Ranbiwa" is his first animated feature film, and it is also his first attempt to integrate experimental animation techniques into feature film narrative. He expressed the hope that through "Ranbiwa", he can convey this mythical story about fire with a unique animation language, inspire the audience to explore the possibilities behind the legend, and cherish the value of love and companionship in modern society.

The film took four years to create. In 2021, "Ranbiwa", which was in the early stages of development, was selected as the only animated film project in the FIRST Youth Film Festival Film Market Annual Film Plan, and won the "Folley Magic Stone Films Breakthrough Plan" cash award and the "Hua Lin Image Color Award". In 2022, it received the Shanghai Cultural Development Foundation's Shanghai Major Literary and Art Creation Project Production Funding. In 2024, it was selected for the WIP unit of the Annecy International Animation Festival in France, known as the Oscars of the animation industry, and held a roadshow promotion with a global perspective.

The "Ranbiwa" project is on the roadshow at Annecy WIP

After learning that "Ranbi Wa" was shortlisted for the Berlin Film Festival, the director excitedly expressed that he was very fortunate to be able to realize his dream with Shanghai Film Group and Shanghai Animation Film Studio. This news was the best New Year's gift he received in 2025.

Stills from "Ranbiwa"

Stills from "Ranbiwa"