The 14th FIRST International Film Festival will be held in Xining, Qinghai province in late July, and the organizers announced the competition selection on Monday.

The official selection includes 13 feature films, 8 documentaries and 13 shorts. They will compete for 10 awards at the festival.

All films are brand new for Chinese audiences, while 95% of the films will hold their world or Asian premiere in Xining, Qinghai province. 

This year's jury committee will be led by Peter Chan. The jurors are actress Hao Lei, film editor Kong Jinglei, screenwriter Liu Heng, director Zhang Ming, and sound editor Zhao Nan.

The festival will run from July 26 to Aug. 3. 

It is one of the few film festivals that can still take place on their original dates, without being delayed, canceled or switched to being held online due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The official Weibo account of the film festival posted: "It is time to reach out to audiences. We have waited too long."

Funded by the Xining municipal government of Qinghai province and the China Film Critics Association, the FIRST International Film Festival aims to discover and showcase emerging filmmakers and their early works. Held annually in July in Xining, FIRST made its debut in 2006 and has focused on filmmakers' first feature films and early works.

Over the last decade, many young filmmakers, including Fan Lixin, Ma Li, Hao Jie, Wen Muye, and Xin Yukun, have had their careers skyrocket after receiving recognition and critical acclaim at the festival. 

FIRST official selection 2020

Feature films:

"Slow Singing," director Dong Xingyi

"Harhuu," director Boyanhkeshig

"Only You Alone," director Zhou Zhou

"Cafe by the Highway," director Shi Xiaofan

"Damp Season," director Gao Ming

"Victim(s)," director Layla Zhuqing Ji

"Leaping Over the Dragon Gate," director Xiao Yifan

"Love Poem," director Wang Xiaozhen

"Lost Lotus," director Liu Shu

"Art Is Dead," director Zhou Shengwei

"A Year in Tibet," director Gao Jian

"A Branch to Roost," director Li Jifeng

"The Partner," director Gao Han

Documentary films:

"Tough Out," director Xu Huijing

"Heart of A Lion," director Xu Weichao

"Daughter of the Light," director Khashem-Gyal

"Uncle Guo's DreamWorks," director Guo Shuang

"This Too Shall Pass," director Li Baojiu

"Shape of the World," director Zhao Xu

"The Lovely Widow and Her Annoying Son," director Wang Kai

"His Land," director Xie Shuchang

Short films:

"White Horse," director Xu Yujie

"The Water Will Carry Us," director Huang Shasha

"Pomegranate," director Cheng Yu

"A Bright Summer Diary," director Lei Lei

"Dog Tick," director Yang Liang

"No Flowers or Seasons," director Chia-Hsuan Yu

"Ornithophobia," director Fu Xiaoyu

"MaMa," director Lo Lou Ian

"Elephant in the Car," director Ikram Nurmehmet

"Growing Pains," director Lin Po-Yu

"Pieces of April," director Zhou Xiaolin

"The Town," director Bao Yifan

"The Coin," director Song Siqi

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