Kicking off a short film career

As one of the guest celebrities, Li Gen, the son of prestigious actor Li Xuejian, told the behind-the-scenes stories of his directorial debut Before Next Spring, which examines the struggles of a group of Chinese expatriates in the Tokyo suburbs.

A veteran who has worked for some of China's best known international film festivals, Li Ran recalls that she has gained experience from serving as the head of the awards-selection panel of Beijing International Film Festival.

Because of her work on the panel, she was one of the first people to know who the winners of the Beijing International Film Festival awards were going to be.

She has been engaged in inviting and organizing international jurors, like Oscar-winning Danish director Bille August and director of the Disney animated classic The Lion King Rob Minkoff, to watch the nominated movies and vote for the awards.

"Sometimes, those world-renowned filmmakers would argue for a long time over the award winners. The longest such vote lasted for nine hours," recalls Li Ran, who has participated in the Beijing festival since 2014.

With such impressive moments reminding her of the dynamic era of the Chinese film industry, Li Ran says she wishes that young talent will maintain a passion and love for cinema and join more international events, such as ISFVF, to continue communicating with the world.