The 4th Chongqing Pioneer Art Film Festival (PAF) kicked off in Chongqing recently, setting up an online screening section in conjunction with Duoduo Video and Fanqie Film, allowing the audience to experience the charm of film through the combination of online and offline channels.

The poster of the 4th session of the Chongqing Pioneer Art Film Festival. (Photo provided to iChongqing)

Founded by Meishi Film Academy of Chongqing University in 2018, PAF aims to seek young talent in art films, contribute to the development of art films, encourage the creation of excellent art films at home and abroad, and find and support talent in art film creation. After years of development, PAF has become one of the most influential film exhibitions in Southwest China.

The 4th session of PAF, with the theme of "Beginning of All Things: Gathering Pioneering Films and Showing the Growth of All Things," is divided into two sections offline screening and online screening. Among them, the main venue of the offline screening is the Pioneer Film Art Cinema in Danzishi Old Street, Nan'an District. On November 9, Love Found, Love Lost, a film directed by Li Songming, will raise the curtain of PAF. The offline screening includes a documentary section of Edward Burtynsky, a famous Canadian photographer, and the "Impression of the South" Theme Screening, which brings together excellent films like A Chat, Yun Jie, Clouds on the Wild Mountains, Anthropocene: The Human Epoch, and Watermark.

The poster of Love Found, Love Lost. (Photo provided to iChongqing)

In addition, the online screening was launched on November 9. The audience can indulge in the film's charm without leaving home through online platforms like Duoduo Video and Fanqie Film. Among the numerous films to be screened in the online screening, there are 13 works shortlisted for the short film competition, six previous works of "Pioneer Action," 2 feature films, and five short films directed by Chen Cuimei, a prominent Malaysian director.

"Compared with previous sessions, in addition to theme activities, this year's PAF sets up major sections such as the opening ceremony of honor, competition, screening, 'Pioneer Action' training camp, and film forum. It also expands the screening scale to immerse more people in the glamour of film." The relevant person in charge of the PAF Organizing Committee introduced that they hope to strengthen exchanges and cooperation between filmmakers and film & TV enterprises through the screening, thus grasping the insights and thoughts of young filmmakers worldwide.