This aerial photo taken on Jan. 14, 2023 shows the snow scenery of Pingyao Ancient Town in Jinzhong City, north China's Shanxi Province.(Photo: Xinhua)

 
The opening ceremony of the 7th Pingyao International Film Festival kicked off on Thursday in Pingyao, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in North China’s Shanxi Province, true to form.

A total of 57 films from 33 countries, including China, France, Tunisia, Argentina, Vietnam, Brazil, Iran, Mongolia, Portugal, the Netherlands, Qatar, and other countries, will be screened at the festival with the theme of Modern Times, according to the official WeChat account of Pingyao International Film.

Pingyao has also announced the world premieres of 40 percent of the films, the Asian premieres of 71 percent, and the Chinese premieres of 97 percent of the films, aiming to bring wonderful films to filmgoers and audiences around the world.

Among the films featured in the festival is Wei Shujun’s Only the River Flows, which serves as the opening film. Written by Yu Hua, it premiered in Un Certain Regard at this year’s Cannes Film Festival and is also one of the 11 titles competing in Pingyao’s Hidden Dragons competition for emerging Chinese filmmakers.

Additionally, Ning Hao’s The Movie Emperor, starring Liu Dehua (Andy Lau), which was previously nominated for the main screening unit of the 48th Toronto International Film Festival and served as the closing film of the 28th Busan International Film Festival, will have its premiere in Pingyao.

Leading Chinese filmmaker Jia Zhangke, who is also the founder of the film festival, stated that by screening excellent films from around the world, the festival focuses on discovering and actively promoting outstanding new works by young directors from non-Western countries, according to the Xinhua News Agency.

Pingyao holds a special place in the hearts of domestic filmmakers, especially young filmmakers, as the hometown of cinema. Now, more and more overseas filmmakers have started to choose Pingyao for the premieres of their films, said Marco Mueller, chief curator of the Pingyao International Film Festival.

The Pingyao International Film Festival has become an important window for the introduction of foreign-language films into China. Over its past six iterations, more than 40 percent of all shortlisted foreign-language films have been purchased by domestic distribution companies, according to the Xinhua News Agency.

Started in 2017, the Pingyao International Film Festival is held annually in Pingyao. It focuses on discovering and promoting outstanding works by young directors from emerging and developing countries.

Despite the challenges of Covid-19, the Pingyao International Film Festival managed to continue as an in-person event without international guests. Although last year’s edition was postponed due to pandemic outbreaks, it eventually took place in January of this year.

In addition to encouraging collaboration between Chinese and international filmmakers, the festival has built an industry platform to support emerging Chinese filmmakers through programs such as the Pingyao Project Promotion.

The film festival will close with the world premiere of Fei Yu’s Football On The Roof'.