Beijing International Film Festival Spotlights African Voices in Global Cinema

2025 is shaping up to be a landmark year for cinema: the 130^th anniversary of the invention of cinema, 120 years of Chinese `cinema, and 15 years since the founding of the Beijing International Film Festival (BJIFF).

This year, BJIFF takes place between April 18 and 26 in Beijing, with its prestigious Tiantan Award taking center stage. The award upholds its mission of celebrating cinematic diversity and highlighting the most innovative and influential films of the year. A total of 15 films have made the final selection, with 12 representing international cinema. They have been selected from 1,794 feature film submissions across 103 countries and regions. Notably, 90% of them were international entries.

The Kenya-Germany co-produced film Nawi: Dear Future Me has been nominated for the Tiantan Award at this year's Beijing International Film Festival. [Photo: Courtesy of BJIFF]

One of the standout contenders this year is Nawi: Dear Future Me, a co-production between Kenya and Germany set in the vast rural county of Turkana in northwestern Kenya. Directed by Toby Schmutzler and Kevin Schmutzler from Germany, alongside Kenyan filmmakers Apuu Mourine and Vallentine Chelluget, the film follows a 13-year-old Kenyan girl with dreams of studying in Nairobi. But when her father trades her future for livestock in an arranged marriage, Nawi finds herself trapped—until she decides to fight back.

Although child marriage is illegal in Kenya, it remains a significant challenge for many young girls, with more than 4 million reported cases, according to UNICEF. Director Kevin Schmutzler highlighted the importance of bringing the film to international audiences, with the goal of raising awareness among policymakers and ultimately changing lives.

This isn’t the first time African films have been shortlisted for the Tiantan Award at BJIFF. In 2018, directed by Roberta Durrant, Krotoa, a South African film about a young Khoi woman serving as an interpreter for the Dutch colonial administrator in 17th-century South Africa, was nominated for the award. In 2021, directed by Philippe Lacôte, Night of the Kings, a film about an inmate at MACA Prison in Côte d'Ivoire who must tell a story to entertain fellow prisoners until dawn, also earned a nomination.

Moviegoers line up to enter the cinema during the Chinese New Year Festival in Beijing, China, February 16, 2025. [Photo: VCG]

And it’s not just about the trophy. Competing for the Tiantan Award at BJIFF gives films the opportunity to reach Chinese audiences, who are receptive to diverse international perspectives. According to studies, while African films began making their way to China as early as the 1950s, the number of African films screened in Chinese theaters remains relatively small. As a result, film festivals like BJIFF have become essential platforms for Chinese audiences to experience African films and gain deeper insight into its rich cultural and artistic diversity. This presents African films with a golden opportunity to be seen and heard in the world’s second-largest box office market, which boasts 90,000 screens this year.

Luc Bendza, a Gabonese actor and the first representative of the African Film Association in China, hightlighted that BJIFF offers a valuable platform for Chinese audiences to engage with the African film industry and explore its growing creative landscape.

Delegates from the Shanghai Film Group and Trinity CineAsia, an independent UK film distributor, discuss film projects at the International Lounge of the Beijing International Film Festival in 2024. [Photo: Courtesy of BJIFF]

On the sideline, BJIFF has launched a series of initiatives aiming at fostering international film collaboration. Notable examples include International Lounge, an idea-sharing forum that brings together prominent film selectors from leading global festivals. For filmmakers, it serves as both a networking hub and a master class, as they may pitch their projects directly to these famed selectors. Guests expected this year include Paolo Bertolin, a selection committee member of the Venice International Film Festival, and Giovanna Fulvi, a senior programmer at the Toronto International Film Festival.

To celebrate the 130^th anniversary of cinema, BJIFF has selected nine influential films that have helped shape the industry. The lineup includes A Trick of the Light, a tribute to the German Skladanowsky Brothers—inventors of an early film projector, The Last Picture Show, a breakthrough work by American director Peter Bogdanovich, and The Purple Rose of Cairo, recognized as one of the "All-Time 100 Best Films" by “Time” magazine. One Chinese film selected is director Bi Gan’s Long Day's Journey Into Night, described as a technically masterful and innovative 3D experiment.

The launch ceremony of the "China Travel with Chinese Films" initiative takes place at the China National Film Museum in Beijing, China, February 17. [Photo: CGTN Radio]

For moviegoers, this year’s BJIFF is more than just about watching films—it’s about experiencing them. The Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism has introduced 12 themed travel routes as part of the "China Travel with Chinese Films" initiative, inviting film enthusiasts and tourists to explore the real-life locations behind the stories. These routes range from classic film nostalgia along Beijing’s central axis to behind-the-scenes tours of filming locations in Huairou, industrial park explorations, and even romance trails set along the Great Wall. It’s a creative way to blend cinema with sightseeing—and a testament to the fact that in Beijing, the magic of movies doesn’t end when the credits roll.

In the BJIFF season, cultures meet, stories connect people, and global cinema gets its moment to shine. Whether you’re a filmmaker, a film lover, or just in it for the popcorn, BJIFF proves that storytelling transcends borders—and sometimes even bends the rules of time and space.

Author: Chen Ziqi, journalist with CGTN

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