Pingyao International Film Festival


The Pingyao International Film Festival, abbreviated as PYIFF, is a film festival held in Pingyao, Shanxi, China. It was launched in October 2017 by Jia Zhangke, a Chinese film director, screenwriter and leading figure of the "Sixth Generation" movement of Chinese cinema and prestigious festival director :it:Marco_Müller|Marco Müller. The festival's goal is to bring attention to works done by young, lesser known directors in the Chinese film industry, as well as to encourage communication and cooperation between Chinese and international filmmakers.

History

Zhangke first announced the creation of the Pingyao International Film Festival in 2017 during a press conference for the China Film Directors Center in Beijing, where this festival is commercially operated and government-guided. Marco Müller, PYIFF's artistic director, who has also served as former chief adviser and selector at the Beijing International Film Festival and former director of the Venice, Rome and Locarno film festivals, confirmed that the festival's name was permitted by Ang Lee, director of the 2000 film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. In a subsequent interview, Müller stated that in 2015 he and Jia Zhangke collaborated their resources for the purposes of creating a film festival in China, which was finalized after Müller visited the ancient city of Pingyao in 2016.

PYIFF 2017

The 1st Pingyao International Film Festival took place in the Pingyao Festival Palace between 28 October and 4 November 2017. John Woo was among the guests during the opening ceremony and received the Honorary Award for Significant Contribution to Culture Exchange Between the East and West. The opening film of the festival was Youth!

Awards

Jury:
Vishal Bhardwaj
Liu Zhenyun
Kaori Momoi
Renzo Rossellini
Aleksey German JR.
Arnaud Desplechin
Xie Fei
Jury:
Anurag Kashyap
Song Fang
Ivy Ho
Shozo Ichiyama
Lin Xudong
Jean-Michel Frodon
Wong Ain-Ling
The 2nd Pingyao International Film Festival was held from 11-20 October 2018. The ten-day event screened fifty-five films from twenty-five countries and regions in ten sections such as:
1) Crouching Tigers,
2) Hidden Dragons
3) Gala
4) Best of Fest
5) Special presentation
6) New Generation China sections.
Films that were screened in the 2nd Pingyao International Film Festival include:
Crouching Tigers | debut or second feature film by new directors
Hidden Dragons | imaginative and original genre film from around the world
Gala | new films by major directors
Best of Fest
Special Presentations | special screenings, masterclass
New Generation China | selection of the most original new Chinese language films
The 3d Pingyao International Film Festival is announced to be held on 10-19 October 2019.

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