The 4th Chongqing Pioneer Art Film Festival is slated to be held in Nan'an District from November 19 to 24. The Festival, founded in 2018, is one of the largest art film exhibitions celebrated in the city proper.

710 Chinese and foreign films

This session of the Festival, under the theme of "Wonders of Life," will present the vitality of beings via pioneer films. Entry collecting started on May 28, 2021, and ended on September 8. Six hundred and sixty-seven out of the 710 films came from China. Films from other countries, including Russia, Spain, Canada, Iran, Germany, Malaysia, Singapore, Myanmar, and Thailand, have entered the review stage. Among this year's films, 625 are short, and 42 are full-length films.

After professional review by the judges, 25 narratives, four experimental, seven documentaries, and three animated shorts (a total of 39) were selected for the competition.

For greater international influence

The presentation sector will introduce shortlisted films, international art films, "Mountains and Rivers in Ba and Shu" and "Impressions of the South" series, classic works of masters, and works of the chairmen of the jury, organizing committee, and students. By then, cinephiles can enjoy Hold me Forever and films from Malaysia, Iran, etc.

The forum sector creatively includes a roundtable forum and dialogues with guests. Scholars and experts from the film industry and media will have in-depth discussions around the theme; young directors and critics will visit universities and colleges; experts from the industry will share ideas on the hottest movies and most-concerned problems.

For resources opening and sharing

According to Li Guanyi, Director of Chongqing Meidian Pioneer Film Studio, this year's Festival will continue working with embassies in China and overseas copyright agencies to expand the channels for films to participate in the event and ensure the quality of entries. In addition to attracting films from foreign countries, the Festival also taps into Chongqing's geographical advantages, international orientation, and developments of international trade focus on the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor and Eurasian Land-Bridge and intensify cultural exchanges with the 10 ASEAN countries, Japan, and South Korea as well as countries along the Eurasian Land-Bridge.

Meanwhile, the Festival's organizing committee plans to establish a film sharing and cooperation mechanism with its counterparts of Vision Youth Awards, Chinese Korean Share Your Dream Short Film Festival, and China International New Media Short Film Festival. There will be two theme activities: Chongqing Film's Night and Appreciation Reception, cinephiles' carnival, offline salons, masters' lectures, and other activities, which will offer a platform to present films and allow film enterprises to communicate.

"The Festival must be integrated. We have been innovating the form and content, and the number of countries from which the films come has increased to nine from one and six in previous editions. Therefore, it's safe to conclude that its influence is growing." Li said they would like to develop an international pioneer art film festival, strengthen film and television culture exchanges, and promote resource sharing among countries and regions.