On the evening of October 13th, the 4th IM Cross-Strait Youth Film Festival in Pingtan, Fujian, announced its award winners. Young director Wei De’an from the Beijing Film Academy received the highest honor, the “Qilin Best Film,” for his work “Ants.” Meanwhile, Taiwanese director You Zhijie from the National Taiwan University of the Arts won the Qilin Jury Grand Prize for his film “Four Beasts and Six Paths,” and Hao Binjie from the Lu Xun Academy of Fine Arts was awarded the Qilin Best Director for his film “Bald Sheep.”
In an interview, You Zhijie expressed his admiration for mainland directors and creators, noting their ability to find various methods to achieve their creative goals. He described the communication among young filmmakers as natural, friendly, and without barriers.
In recent years, You has begun to make a name for himself at various film festivals in mainland China and has received offers for feature films. He looks forward to collaborating with mainland filmmakers to engage in deep exchanges of perspectives and filming techniques.
This year’s main competition for short films received submissions from 342 universities worldwide, totaling 2,264 works, setting a record for the festival. Notably, 91.2% of the creators are part of the post-95 generation of new filmmakers.
From Taiwan, 137 works from 29 universities entered the film festival, with over 2,700 young talents participating in short film creation. Nine works made it to the top 50, with the National Taiwan University of the Arts leading for the fourth consecutive year in terms of submissions.
In addition to director Sylvia Chang serving as the chair of the short film competition, the festival also welcomed a prominent lineup of Taiwanese film figures, including Xu Xiaoming, editor Liao Qingsong, Oscar documentary selection committee member Chen Lingzhen, and actors Wu Kangren and Zhang Rongrong. These notable professionals engaged in in-depth discussions with mainland filmmakers, paving the way for further cultural exchange in the film industry across the strait.
