At the press conference on the first day of the festival, the ju judges of the 9th Pingyao International Film Festival Project Market highlighted the importance of balancing creative originality with market feasibility.
This year, the festival received 872 submissions. Of these, the Pingyao Project Promotion (PPP) programme presents 16 projects at different stages of development, while the Literary Project (LPP) presents 15 works from short fiction to full-length novels, representing a diverse array of contemporary Chinese literature that can be used for screen adaptation. Awards including The Creativity Prive, the Humanitarian Spirit Award and the Commercial Potential Potional Award will be distributed along with the Momo Script Award.
Director Zhang Yang, credits that include “Shower” and “The Path of the Soul,” emphasized the need for filmmakers to clarify not only their own stories, but how it translates into a distinctive film style. “From my perspective, it’s not just the story and characters, but they’re not only essential, but also the way the director ultimately brings this script to the screen. What is the visual style? Are there any groundbreaking or personal pursuits?” Chan said.
Producer Ye Ting (“Her Story”, “I Love You”) highlighted the role of producers in shaping projects for real-world execution. “No matter how strong the script is artistically, it is difficult to move forward when its feasibility and market potential are very limited,” he said, noting that producers must define a project’s selling points and practical strategies for funding and release.
Actor, executive and longtime industry supporter, Wu Yanyan, general manager of Dong Juan Tianming Films and advisor to Wu Tianming Film Fund, observed that many of the selected scripts of the year exhibited a high level of integrity and commercial perception. “I was delighted and surprised. Some projects are closer to what the market wants and the diversity is impressive,” she said.
Pingyao programmer Wu Jueren pointed out the evolution of the selection process. Seven preliminary judges, including distributors, producers and directors, cut the field. “We had a large workload. But we saw a wide range. Projects from experienced directors and completely fresh voices. The genres were very diverse,” Wu pointed out.
Questions on budget feasibility also came to a large scale. “If the director only made short films, but reports a million-plus budget, it’s unlikely to be feasible,” Chang warned. Wooyan added that most projects this year have shown realistic financial awareness, with the budget being primarily under the mark of the renminbi ($1.4 million).
Ju-dean emphasized the importance of originality and timeliness. “The most important thing for a new director is new ideas, new thinking,” Ye said. “Originality is the strength of emerging filmmakers, and is often linked to the urgent desire to express their life experiences and present moments.”
The project market has become a major industry tier for Pingyao, with previous selections such as “Journey to the West” and “Star Lighting” being released in full. The festival organizers noted that several other past projects have been in post-production and are expected to reach viewers soon.
The 9th Pin Gyao Crouching Tiger Hydragon International Film Festival will be held in Pin Yao, Shanghai, China from September 24th to 30th. Acclaimed film director Jia Zhangke, a leading figure in the sixth generation of Chinese cinema movement, founded the festival in his hometown of Shanghai.
