College Student Film Festival promotes innovation

The Beijing College Student Film Festival upholds the slogan of "Youthful Passion, Academic Taste, and Cultural Awareness." In doing so, the festival has become distinguished for its rigorous demand for artistic quality, and has built a solid reputation among academics.

The jury of the Varsity Film Festival is composed of both leading young academics and experts. Among the criteria being scrutinized are artistic quality and depth of thought.

The Beijing College Student Film Festival upholds the slogan of "Youthful Passion, Academic Taste, and Cultural Awareness."

In addition to major blockbusters, Festival candidates also include low budget productions and more culture-oriented movies, as well as stories on ethnic minorities, coming of age, social issues, and documentaries. Recent years have seen more and more commercial productions vying for honors at the Varsity Festival.

Gao Jun, cinema chain manager, said, "In the past there were few commercial blockbusters eager to take part in the Varsity Festival. Most entries are arthouse films and low budget productions. This situation has been changing in recent years. I think the festival should adhere to its artistic principles and high taste."

The Varsity Film Festival features the activity titled "Short Films by College Students". Those interested in filmmaking are encouraged to make their own production and enter for competition.

This year, nearly two thousand student-created short films have been entered to compete in the six categories. The festival has become a major platform for college filmmakers to interact and compare notes.