2019 China International Children’s Film Festival was held in Guangzhou !

The press conference for the China International Children’s Film Festival 2019 was held successfully at the Guangzhou Newspaper Culture Center. The film festival was held in Guangzhou from November 14 to 18, 2019. Under the concept of “open, innovative and integrated development”, the film festival showed the resilience and vitality of the film industry to the world with the theme of “children’s mind to see the world, light and shadow with childhood — dream with the country and film with children”.

China International Children’s Film Festival 2019 was approved by the State Film Administration, conducted by the State Film Administration and Guangdong Film Administration, sponsored by the publicity department of the Guangzhou Municipal Committee of the communist party of China, China Children And Teenagers Film Association, Film Channel Program Center and Guangzhou Education Bureau. Undertaken by Guangzhou Hongde Cultural Media Co., Ltd., it is the only international children’s film cultural event in China. It is not only a major international exchange activity between Chinese and foreign children’s films, but also an important platform for the country to promote film and television education for primary and secondary school students.

China International Children’s Film Festival 2019 lasted for 5 days, included the Chinese and foreign children’s films exhibition, China international children’s film conference, Children’s film project venture capital, children’s film festival, children’s film copyright fair, the fourth outstanding children’s film (including animation) script solicitation and small film exhibition for primary and middle school students.

International influence enhanced the quality of the films shown in the Festival

It is understood that with the expansion of China International Children’s Film Festival’s influence in the global market, the number and quality of the films shown in the Festival have also escalated. A total of 146 Chinese and foreign excellent children’s films from nearly 30 countries and regions were selected for this year’s film festival. Finally, 68 films, including feature films, animated films and documentaries, were screened, covering topics such as parent-child relationship, women’s growth, sports and natural environment protection.

Among films exhibited, many have been shown and competed and won awards in the Berlin International Film Festival, Cinekid International Film Festival of the Netherlands, Giffoni International Film Festival of Italy, Busan Youth and Children Film Festival of the Republic of Korea and other internationally famous children’s film festivals.  Eg. Iran’s ” The End of  Dreams” was the 13th Pusan International Film Festival’s opening film.  Domestic film “A First Farewell” Uighur achieved good result in the Tokyo International Film Festival, the Berlin International Film Festival, and the Hong Kong International Film Festival.  “Young Run ” won the 2019 Hong Kong International Youth Film Festival best children’s film and best actor awards; and more than 10 nominations in multiple film festivals.

“The End of  Dreams” Poster

“A First Farewell” Poster

Children can participate in the film festival

2019 China International Children’s Film Festival returned to the essence of film exhibition, closely adhered to the theme of “Sees the world through children’s heart, light and shadow accompany childhood”. Through series of activities, it created a real children’s film exhibition which children could participate in-depth and actively integrated into.

This year’s film festival implemented the policy of “365 days to release films and release good films” all year round, in many areas such as children’s palace, schools, cinemas and communities, among which the community exhibition is the new featured venue this year. Up to now, 100 shows have been released in children’s palaces and schools in Beijing and Guangzhou, and 50 shows in communities and cinemas. During the festival, 80 screenings and 150 screenings were arranged in various youth palaces and schools in Guangzhou, and the number of screenings is still increasing.

Concurrently, this film festival held a retrospective exhibition of children’s films on the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China, and has selected 7 outstanding children’s films and animation to be specially screened to celebrate the anniversary.  In addition, this year’s children’s film festival has set up a “German children’s film unit”, and has shown 6 excellent German children’s films.

Domestic and foreign industry leaders gathered, “feel the pulse” of the children’s film market

To thoroughly study and apply Xi’s new era ideas of socialism with Chinese characteristics and the party’s 19^th National Conference, to carry out the spirit of the National Conference on education, to make full use of excellent films in promoting the importance of art of morality to primary and middle school students, to allow intelligence and physique full scale development, to earnestly implement the “guidance on enhancing the film and television education of primary and secondary schools” issued jointly by the Ministry of Education, together with the Central Propaganda Department, in November 2018, to effectively promote the film and television education of primary and secondary schools.

Against this background, this year’s Festival set children’s films as the core, gathered outstanding creators, senior educational scholars and industry leaders, and discussed the multi-dimensional way to promote the integration and development of children’s film creation, market and education. As understood, the Festival has invited, including Israel, Germany, Finland, Spain, Japan, South Korea and others, international film education experts, as well as the domestic film, education industry experts and guests, to express their in-depth opinion from aspects like film education international vision and children education front. And also discussed about “animation film development and its future” for sake of exploring animation film market potential and artistic value.

In addition, in order to promote the development of Chinese children’s film market, the Festival also set up a children’s film copyright trade fair.  With film copyright trading as the core, assisted children movies producers, movie owners and children’s film production units, and provided cooperative matching, and outstanding works and film industry link, building an international children’s film exhibition, exchange and trading platform. This year’s Festival provided publicity opportunities for exhibitors in an all-round way through online and offline display and communication. Combined with the Festival conference, children’s film project venture capital, children’s new film viewing party,  held concurrently, the Festival fully explored the market value of children’s film, and the new mode of children’s film cooperation.

The public welfare project of “watching movies by ear” focused on blind children

The special children group is also the future and hope of the motherland.  They need more common concern from the whole society.  To strengthen the care and protection of special children is an important responsibility of government at all levels.

In order to attract more people to care about blind children, this year’s Festival also highlighted a long-term public welfare cooperation plan with Guangdong’s Association for the Promotion of Barrier-Free — “Watch Movies with Your Ears”.  In the future, as a fixed project of the film festival, each film exhibition will select outstanding films to be specially produced into versions for blind children and blind families to “watch”, so that blind children and blind families across the country can have more opportunities to “watch” good films and new films, and receive film and television education together with all children and enjoy the all-round growth.

The awarding ceremony of cooperative exhibitors of China International Children Film Festival

Source: China International Children’s Film Festival