Following the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, the upcoming 20th Beijing International Sports Film Week will “make the most of the legacy of the Games” as called on by General Secretary Xi Jinping in his speech at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics and Paralympics Review and Awards Ceremony and give full play to Beijing’s demonstration role as the first city in the world to have hosted both Summer and Winter Olympics.

Sun Yue, former Chinese national basketball team guard and winner of the NBA and CBA championships, has become the promotional ambassador of the 20th Beijing International Sports Film Week.

(The 20th Beijing International Sports Film Week Promotional Ambassador Poster)

Pang Qing and Tong Jian, China’s world champion figure skaters and Olympic silver medallists, are the image ambassadors. Their involvement brings a diversity of perspectives to the Chinese sports film industry.

(The 20th Beijing International Sports Film Week Image Ambassador Poster)

In line with Beijing’s call to make good use of Olympic legacy to boost sports consumption, we will get everything setup for the 20th edition of the Beijing International Sports Film Week, which coincides with the opening of the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics.

Best of the best

The Beijing International Sports Film Week is an international sports film event established in 2005 in preparation for the Olympic Games Beijing 2008. After the end of the Games, it has been hosted by the Beijing Olympic City Development Association (BODA) as an important component of the Beijing Olympic City Sports Culture Festival. Since 2009, the Beijing International Sports Film Week has become one of the festivals of the World Champion Final of the Sport Movies and TV. As well as bringing in international sports films and TV productions, the Beijing International Sports Film Week also works actively to promote Chinese sports film and TV culture around the world, playing a significant role in helping Chinese sports film and TV culture go global. As of 2023, the Beijing International Sports Film Week had been held 19 times and submitted nearly 200 shortlisted entries to the World Champion Final. Among them, 69 works won awards in different Sections, and 32 of them received the “Guirlande d’Honneur” Award. Beijing 2022 and Me and My Winter Games, two films submitted in 2023, were granted the “Guirlande d’Honneur” Award, and five other films won the “Mention d’Honneur” Award.

(The 19th Beijing International Sports Film Week Shortlists Announcement Ceremony and Film Screening for Participants of the Beijing 2022 Games)

The 20th Beijing International Sports Film Week Launch Activity for Collection of Works was held in April, and shortlists will be recommended and announced in August. After two rounds of review, some 20 films will be submitted to the World Champion Final of the Sport Movies and TV – Milano International FICTS Fest. Additionally, a judging panel composed of prestigious media will name “The Media’s Choice” based on their unique perspective and keen acumen.

(The 19th Beijing International Sports Film Week Launch Activity for Collection of Works)

The Beijing International Sports Film Week and the venture capital section of the Beijing International Film Festival will continue to setup a joint fund for sports films to support young filmmakers, promote the development of the sports film industry, bring excellent sports film projects to fruition and strengthen the influence of the sports culture industry. The judging panel composed of Guan Jinpeng, Da Peng, Liu Haoran, Zeng Guoxiang and Zhang Mo will select a venture capital project to be financed by the fund.

(The 19th Beijing International Sports Film Week Venture Capital Project Announcement Ceremony)

Extensive synergy: going beyond and above 

The Beijing Film Panorama of the 14th Beijing International Film Festival will feature a special section dedicated to the 20th Beijing International Sports Film Week. A number of well-chosen Chinese and foreign films will be screened, including those recommended by the World Champion Final, the latest sports films, and award-winning films. In particular, two French films shortlisted into the World Champion Final will be screened to build hype for the upcoming Paris 2024 Summer Olympics.

Mister Nokaut Screening and Director Meet-and-Greet at the Beijing International Film Festival in 2023

A public screening will also be held to support the construction of the Beijing-Zhangjiakou culture and sports tourism belt. We will partner with universities to host a screening of excellent films during the 20th Beijing International Sports Film Week. We will use the videos and images of the Sports Film Week for the Beijing Olympic City Sports Culture Festival, so as to spread the Olympic spirit through the medium of sports films and television productions and help build China into a country strong on sports.

(The 19th Beijing International Sports Film Week Public Screening)

This year’s Sports Film Week will feature a special poster exhibition in celebration of its 20th anniversary. The image exhibition zone and the video exhibition zone will present the journey of the Beijing International Sports Film Week chronologically, with the aim of promoting the sports film art and culture. Additionally, a sports marketplace will be setup at the 14th Beijing International Film Festival. Select sports brands will display or sell their products in a move to boost sports consumption.

(The 19th Beijing International Sports Film Week Poster Exhibition)

New highlight: a cluster of forums  

Forums serve as an important platform for communication among film producers, the sports world and the cultural community and are a key window to tell the public the stories behind sports films. Keeping in mind the mission to facilitate the overseas release of Chinese sports films and international exchanges, the 20th Beijing International Sports Film Week will hold the theme forum “How Chinese Sports Film Go Global,” which will look at the charm and influence of sports films and discuss how to spread sportsmanship and the sports culture through films. The sub-forum themed “Why do sports films get our blood pumping?” will recommend several sports films and focus on discussing how sports films can increase the people’s enthusiasm about sports and encourage them to engage in sports and how to promote the development of the sports film industry. The sub-forum themed “Commitment and Innovation in Sports Related Content Creation” will bring together experts, directors, and scriptwriters to talk about the trends and challenges of sports films and television productions and share their experience in content creation, thus sparking the inspiration and creativity of creators and boosting the sports film and television industry. The sub-forum around the topic “How Films and Animation Spread Sports Culture” is designed to inspire creators and offer fresh perspectives to football enthusiasts. This year’s Sports Film Week will hold more forums in a bid to promote the innovation and spread of Chinese sports films.

(The 19th Beijing International Sports Film Week Theme Forum)

Below is the schedule of the 20th Beijing International Sports Film Week:

Leveraging the platform of the Beijing International Film Festival, the Beijing International Sports Film Week will further strengthen the influence of sports films and expand the screening channels to enrich the cultural life of the general public and spread the Olympic spirit through the medium of sports films and television productions. Shortlisted Chinese sports films will be brought to the international cultural arena. These will ultimately facilitate Beijing’s role as a centre for international exchanges, tell Chinese sports stories to the whole world and help build China into a country strong on sports.