The light fantastic

According to Huang, when they founded the festival, they had two main goals — one was to provide the most high-end event possible and a youthful audience for the film industry, and the other was to imbue university students with important values, such as morality, intelligence and artistic aesthetics.

"By promoting Chinese cinema, college students can contribute to the development of the industry and receive artistic nourishment, which is equally important for their personal growth," she says.

"The festival has become a very intimate endeavor for me. As a teacher, I have also gained a lot of artistic inspiration from the festival, especially as we are facing young students, who are a source of endless inspiration. Being with these students is the happiest and most rewarding time of our lives," Huang says.

She thinks the motto of the festival — "youthful passion, academic taste and cultural awareness" — distinguishes it clearly from others.

"'Youthful passion' is the driving force of our festival. It is the fervor and vitality of Chinese youth that sets us apart," Huang says. "We have also always placed a great emphasis on academic development. Each year, we hold film exhibitions and awards, as well as various academic seminars."