The Offline Maintenance of the First International Film Festival During COVID-19: Institutional Adjustments and Participants’ Response

Abstract

The FIRST International Film Festival was one of the only international festivals to have continued with offline and in-person activities throughout the COVID-19 pandemic years of 2020 to 2022. This article uses archival sources to investigate how the festival was able to continue and develop throughout the pandemic period. Through analysis of the festival’s industry positioning and the response of the managing stakeholders and participants to the uncertain pandemic environment, the article reveals to what extent the pandemic affected the festival in terms of its annual operation, framework, and component sections. By using an institutional approach, it demonstrates the adjustment, growth and maintenance of the festival in the pandemic context. The article argues that the festival’s distinctive nodal role as a cultivation platform for new emerging talent allowed it to sustain offline activities throughout the pandemic.

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank Yinglong Tong for taking part in my interview and his team for their great help in providing so many first-hand data and materials. This paper is dedicated to the new emerging Chinese filmmakers who insisted on their filmmaking dream during the pandemic (仅以此文献给那些在疫情期间坚持电影梦的中国青年电影人).

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 Interview with Yinglong Tong, 13 July 2022, China (online).

2 Interview with Yinglong Tong, 15 July 2022, China (online).

3 Qi Ai, ‘A Report on FIRST International Film Festival and an Interview with Young Filmmakers’, Asian Cinema 33, no.1 (2022): 81–106.

4 Interview with Yinglong Tong, July 13.

5 Li Lei, ‘Foreign Airlines Limited to One Flight per Week Starting Sunday’, China Daily, 26 March 2020, https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202003/26/WS5e7cb09ca3101282172824f2.html

6 Xinhua, ‘China Releases Guideline on Advancing Work Resumption Amid Epidemic Control’, China Daily, 10 April 2020, https://govt.chinadaily.com.cn/s/202004/10/WS5ecf6dac498ede88abf83f68/china-releases-guideline-on-advancing-work-resumption-amid-epidemic-control.html

7 Jue Liu, Min Liu, and Wannian Liang, ‘Perspectives: The Dynamic Covid-Zero Strategy in China’, China CDC Weekly 4, no. 2 (2022): 74–5.

8 For more details, see FIFAPF Accredited Festival Directory, http://www.fiapf.org/pdf/directoryFIAPFv3.pdf

9 Yao Wang, ‘Xinguan yiqing, liu meiti jueqi yu guoji dianyingjie xin zhixu’ [The Covid-19 Pandemic, the Rise of Streaming Media and the New Order of International Film Festival Circuit], Dangdai dianying, no. 6 (2022): 4–14.

10 Kan Peng, ‘Guoji dianyingji chuangtou de lishi ji fazhan quedongli yanjiu’ [Research on the History and Developing Drives of International Film Festival Pitching], Dangdai dianying, no. 8 (2021): 67–73.

11 Dina Iordanova, ‘The Film Festival as an Industry Node’, Media Industries 1, no. 3 (2015), https://doi.org/10.3998/mij.15031809.0001.302.

12 Mark Peranson, ‘First You Get the Power, Then You Get the Money: Two Models of film Festivals’, in Dekalog 3: On Film Festivals, ed. Richard Porton (London: Wallflower, 2008), 23–37.

13 Stuart Richard and Lauren Carroll Harris, ‘From the Event to the Everyday: Distributor-Driven Film Festivals’, Media International Australia 180, no. 1 (2020): 3.

14 Felicia Chen, ‘The International Film Festival and the Making of a National Cinema’, Screen 52, no. 2 (2011): 253–60.

15 Tamara Falicov, ‘The “Festival Film”: Film Festival Funds as Cultural Intermediaries’, in Film Festivals: History, Theory, Method, Practice, ed. Marijke de Valck, Brendan Kredell, and Skadi Loist (London and New York: Routledge, 2016), 212.

16 Marijke de Valck, ‘Fostering Art, Adding Value, Cultivating State: Film Festivals as Sites of Cultural Legitimization’, in Film Festivals: History, Theory, Method, Practice, ed. Marijke de Valck, Brendan Kredell, and Skadi Loist (London and New York: Routledge, 2016), 100–15.

17 Interview with Yinglong Tong, July 13.

18 For more details, see the reports posted at the FIRST’s WeChat public account in the past three years.

19 Interview with Wen Song, 25 August 2022, China (online).

20 FIRST Film Festival, ‘Our Story’, n.d., https://www.firstfilm.org.cn/en/about/history/ (accessed 20 September 2021).

21 Ibid.

22 Ibid.

23 See, the Annual Brochure of the 15^th edition of the FIRST International Film Festival, 2021.

24 FIRST Film Festival, ‘Cong 1550 chang dao 0 chang, fangying zuzhi de zuixin dongtai shi zhuanfa yiqing zufang butie’ [The situation of the Public Programming section in 2020], 25 March 2020, https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/2ZYiuY18djqEMREjX_SIBg

25 The data mentioned in this section are collected from the reports posted at the FIRST’s WeChat Public Account and from Tong.

26 This data, namely ‘the average number of submissions to the Competition section’, is reckoned based on the information on the FIRST’s 2020 and 2021 Annual Brochures.

27 Interview with Yinglong Tong, 13 July 2022.

28 FIRST Film Festival, ‘Chanye fangying: weihe jiaoyi bu rongyi’ [The situation of the Industry Screening section in 2022], 25 March 2022, https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/Pg8obIf-mvAm2SwMn4t8iw

29 FIRST Film Festival, ‘Ru wei piandan’ [The shortlist and jury members’ comments], 29 June 2020, https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/js18xnYevtyHLYSghXfuLQ

30 FIRST Film Festival, ‘Yi kuai banzhuan: yiding shi tebie de yuanfen’ [Q&A], 12 March 2020, https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/uJBTpaoupVNeW9KsfYIKOg

31 FIRST Film Festival, ‘Kai mu la mu de ren’ [New beginning and the implementer for the opening ceremony], 26 July 2020, https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/Zhjv7G8CpkFTvQlCo4i7AQ

32 FIRST Film Festival, ‘Ru wei piandan’, 29 June 2020.

33 FIRST Film Festival, ‘Women zai gaofengxian de chaoyang qu yue zhe hangye huoban shai taiyang’ [Social gathering at the high-risk Chaoyang district], 28 April 2020, https://www.firstfilm.org.cn/en/about/history/.

34 FIRST Film Festival, ‘Xinxiang: gei naxie dang bu shang huiguo banji de ren’ [Mailbox: sharing your experiences about FIRST], 27 May 2020, https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/wcBYyoDyCxJD05tNgIKPAQ

35 For more details, see the reports posted at the FIRST’s WeChat public account in 2020.

36 FIRST Film Festival, ‘Cao Baoping de yifeng xin’ [A letter from Cao Baoping], 5 May 2020, https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/djwKX7NswYHywzcH3ZipyQ

37 FIRST Film Festival, ‘Ta huoxu bushi zuihou yige reng ziyuan de jilupian daoyan’ [Perhaps he is not the last one who release documentary online for free], 26 July 2020, https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/o8gvgEk3qmuZ8SzFF-fUgg

38 FIRST Film Festival, ‘Chanye fangying: xinwanjia yongru fuwuqi’ [Industry screening: welcoming new participants], 7 April 2020, https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/vz_qEP6eoqrMgkCT182flg

39 Ibid.

40 FIRST Film Festival, ‘Ru wei piandan’, 29 June 2020.

41 Ibid.

42 FIRST Film Festival, ‘Zhao Qi daoyan zhuanfang’ [An interview with Director Zhao Qi], 12 May 2020, https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/YK4KtZY4ARU6ViVTOo0B8A

43 FIRST Film Festival, ‘Zhan zai guoqu yu weilai’ [A news conference for the FIRST festival: past and the future], 29 May 2021, https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/dyQ6keSclEZ0KZlFcvTRSQ

44 FIRST Film Festival, ‘Dianying shichang bu shi yidao dan xuanti’ [FIRST festival and its support measures for industrialing neophytes’ filmmaking practices], 16 June 2021, https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/Wv7dg7AgU9Mz6R2U4_B5tA.

45 FIRST Film Festival, ‘Zuo hao zhunbei zhengmian chu ji’ [Preparation for the future], 8 September 2021, https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/BM3wMZRmGJ0aw_fIttLq5Q.

46 Interview with Yinglong Tong, 13 July 2022.

47 FIRST Film Festival, ‘Xunlian ying: chuangzuo zai gaoqiang zhi nei chukou you daofu zucheng’ [Training camp in 2021], 24 June 2021, https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/DGSMkl7OJ9StR2p9iZkiIQ

48 FIRST Film Festival, ‘Chaoduan pian yong wu fenzhong huiji dangxia’ [The situation of the Short Short film section in 2021], 5 March 2021, https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/i1D7MWDYLHmvb474DAaVlQ

49 According to several news reported posted at the FIRST’s WeChat public account, there are over 500 applications for the director position and 182 applications for the cameraman position.

50 Jin Jin, ‘Pingshen zhaji: wo youixe guanchuan meiyou daan’ [Review and thingking: I have questions but no answers], 17 July 2021, https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/4JVzspnQRmzCSBslKeqZUA

51 Ibid.

52 Ai, ‘A report’, 81–106.

53 Ibid.

54 Tong offered this follow-up investigation report after the interview.

55 Interview with Yinglong Tong, 15 July 2022.

56 Ibid.

57 Ibid.

58 FIRST Film Festival, ‘Shichang jiabing zhuce: dianying meiyou fanshi jiegou’ [Industry guests and registration in 2022], 29 April 2022, https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/9IWhmsW-IXIWpLmmb9pnDg

59 Interview with Yinglong Tong, 13 July 2022.

60 Liang Fang, ‘Chuangtou hui zhaji’ [Notes on financing forum], 1 June 2022, https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/aflpS-Ds59ZJCi0ctGv9pg; Ting Ye, ‘Pingshen zhaji: xingdong shi zuihao de zhengming’ [Review notes], 8 July 2022, https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/OnM19cMwrLHrCM1rYR4zDQ; Tuo Luo, ‘Pingshen zhaji: zhongyu ziji de biaoda yeman shengchang’ [Review notes: self-expression], 8 July 2022, https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/vEqeAVre-Hqskda-SwKw1g

61 Songke Wang, ‘Pingshen zhaji: duanpian le ci bu pi’ [Review notes], 7 July 2022, https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/Az5NbquBO_10KcvE6wN34Q; Di Shen, ‘Pingshen zhaji: culi yu jingzhi, liliang yu zhengui’ [Review notes], 7 July 2022, https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/cHh0nSE_np-SmCHq_zJQ9w

62 Ibid.

63 FIRST Film Festival, ‘Chaoduan pian yingxiang zhi yu shunjian dan shenghuo bushi’ [Short Short films in 2022], 29 June 2022, https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/pSrycvrSD4PvMY-8PhN9Kg

64 According to the reports posted at the FIRST’s WeChat public account, there were 33,906 short films submitted through Toutiao in 2020. The report in 2021 did not indicate clearly the number of short films submitted through Bilibili. It only mentioned that there were 2544 films submitted in the first month when the section initiated.

65 FIRST Film Festival, ‘Guocheng ji shi jingxi’ [Surprise happens in process], 1 August 2022, https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/QhxZbQ4UmTe6TVIcrSFaiA

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Qi Ai

Qi Ai is a lecturer at the School of Journalism and Communication, Shandong Normal University, China. He was a post-doctoral fellow at Shandong University and the visiting scholar at University of Nottingham (Ningbo). He holds a Ph.D. in film and television studies from the University of Nottingham, UK. His research interests include new media studies, cultural studies, and film and television studies.