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Film professionals from China and abroad gathered at the 16th Beijing International Film Festival (BJIFF) jury press conference on April 18 to discuss what distinguishes enduring cinema in an industry increasingly shaped by global exchange.
The four competition juries — overseeing the Tiantan Award, Forward Future, Short Film and Project Pitches sections — found common ground in a shared belief that authentic human emotion remains film's most reliable bridge across cultures.
The Tiantan Award jury poses for a photo at the jury press conference of the 16th Beijing International Film Festival (BJIFF) in Beijing, April 18, 2026. [Photo courtesy of the BJIFF Organizing Committee]
The Tiantan Award, the festival's flagship competition, received a record 1,826 submissions from 139 countries and regions this year, with international entries accounting for 88% of the total. The seven-member jury, chaired by French actress Juliette Binoche, spans Europe, Asia and the Americas.
French actress Juliette Binoche speaks at the jury press conference of the 16th Beijing International Film Festival (BJIFF) in Beijing, April 18, 2026. [Photo courtesy of the BJIFF Organizing Committee]
Binoche described her guiding principle as instinct rather than calculation.
"Intuition is so important," she said. "You have knowledge, you spend time making films and studying them, but at the end of the day, intuition is what really informs me of what to do." The filmmakers she most respects, she said, share a common trait: "They believe in what they do, and they follow what they feel."
Vietnamese French director Tran Anh Hung speaks at the jury press conference of the 16th Beijing International Film Festival (BJIFF) in Beijing, April 18, 2026. [Photo courtesy of the BJIFF Organizing Committee]
Vietnamese French director Tran Anh Hung, known for the Oscar-nominated "The Taste of Things," cautioned against "superficial emotions" that audiences have encountered too many times.
"A film is not necessarily cinema," he said. "Film is a medium, and cinema is an art form." When watching Chinese films, he said, what draws him in is the distinct texture of voices, faces and cultural responses. "I like the sound of the voices, how they react in different situations, which is different from French people," he said.
British composer Simon Franglen speaks at the jury press conference of the 16th Beijing International Film Festival (BJIFF) in Beijing, April 18, 2026. [Photo courtesy of the BJIFF Organizing Committee]
British composer Simon Franglen, whose credits include the "Avatar" sequels, offered a musician's perspective on cross-cultural storytelling.
"Music is like a character in the film," he said. "It should act as someone who guides the audience, and it should evoke feelings, whether you realize it or not."
Franglen estimated that sound and music carry roughly 30% of a film's narrative weight, deepening audience connection in ways that bypass language barriers.
Brazilian director Gabriel Mascaro speaks at the jury press conference of the 16th Beijing International Film Festival (BJIFF) in Beijing, April 18, 2026. [Photo courtesy of the BJIFF Organizing Committee]
Brazilian director Gabriel Mascaro drew connections between film cultures separated by geography, noting that China and Brazil share an experience of rapid social transformation that has shaped their respective cinemas.
He pointed to the enduring popularity of Chinese restaurants in Brazil — many named after Chinese films since the 1990s — as evidence of cinema's ability to travel.
"The Chinese market is strategically important for world cinema," he said, adding that increased exchange enriches the global film industry.
The Forward Future International Jury poses for a photo at the jury press conference of the 16th Beijing International Film Festival (BJIFF) in Beijing, April 18, 2026. [Photo courtesy of the BJIFF Organizing Committee]
The Forward Future section, dedicated to first and second features from emerging directors, was led by jury president Feng Xiaogang, who praised the "freshness and boldness" of the works under consideration. Feng said the courage to make mistakes is precisely what makes debut films vital.
The jury also included American director and visual effects artist Anthony LaMolinara, whose credits range from "Spider-Man" to cutting-edge virtual production. LaMolinara said artificial intelligence is already reshaping how young filmmakers approach their craft.
"With AI, we are entering an era where animation and reality blur," he said. "It's a fascinating time for filmmakers to explore new forms of expression."
Argentine director Iván Fund, also on the panel, observed a thematic thread running through many entries: young directors using personal and collective history to interpret the present.
"These films attempt to understand the past in order to heal the present," he said.
The Short Film section received 1,212 submissions, with jury president Andrew Lau describing the entries as evidence of "new energy" in the industry. The section bills itself as the "first business card" for Chinese-language commercial genre filmmaking, with jurors drawn from across the production, distribution and exhibition industries.
The Project Pitches section, which connects emerging screenwriters and directors with investors and production resources, received 539 submissions this year, including 31 entries in a newly added animation category. The panel, chaired by actress and director Shu Qi, focused on identifying scripts with personal authenticity and broader appeal.
Producer Ying Luojia said she values "truthfulness and a distinctive perspective" above technical polish when evaluating new collaborators.
The jury press conference comes as China continues to expand as a theatrical market. By the end of 2025, the country's total box office reached 51.83 billion yuan ($7.37 billion), supported by 93,187 screens — the most extensive theatrical infrastructure in the world.
The Tiantan Award winners will be announced at the closing ceremony on April 25.
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