On August 28, the 10th Beijing International Film Festival (BJIFF) Beijing Film Market Contract Signing Ceremony took place at Beijing Radio & Television Station. A total of 21 key projects were signed with 46 companies on the site, and 110 projects were signed and released at the Beijing Film Market, with a total contract amount of 33.089 billion yuan, an increase of about 7 percent year-on-year, hitting a new record high.

The projects signed at the Contract Signing Ceremony this year covered all parts of the film industry chain, including the companies' annual film investment and production, construction of cinema circuits, construction of film & television bases and cultural real estates, film funding and financing, and young filmmaker cultivation programs.

At the moment when major strategic results were achieved in pandemic prevention and control, the Beijing Film Market Contract Signing Ceremony grabbed the attention of all walks of life by signing and releasing a range of major projects. This boosted the morale of the industry, while giving the industry insiders opportunities for exchange and communication and developing a platform for cross-industry cooperation and resource integration in the film industry.

Wang Jiequn, Deputy Director of the Publicity Department of Beijing Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China, Director of the Beijing Municipal Film Administration and Vice Chairman & Secretary General of the Organizing Committee of the 10th Beijing International Film Festival, addressed the Contract Signing Ceremony. Present were Yu Junsheng, Deputy Director of the Publicity Department of Beijing Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China, Secretary of the Party Leadership Group and President of Beijing Radio & Television Station and Vice Chairman & Secretary General of the Organizing Committee of the 10th Beijing International Film Festival, and Xu Tao, member of the Party Leadership Group and Deputy Chief Editor of Beijing Radio & Television Station and Executive Deputy Secretary General of the Organizing Committee of the 10th BJIFF.

A total of 21 companies and institutions signed contracts for key projects on the stage. Poly Pictures Investment Co., Ltd. brought four projects to the Contract Signing Ceremony, including Crackdown on Criminal Activity: Tipping Point, and Hello, Classmates, two key movies for cinema circuits. Poly Pictures is making increased efforts to develop film and television works that depict realistic themes, reflect mainstream social values, and promote positive energy. Concurrent with the ceremony, at the "Poly Pictures' Key Content Development and Production Contract" session, it released The Panda Agent co-presented with companies such as Spring and Autumn Times and Antaeus Group; Relics Excavated from Jiangkou presented in association with companies including Zhonggangxing Culture, and No Chopsticks Pictures; "Transform like a Butterfly" Program aiming to support rising filmmakers in partnership with VJshi, and other key projects. Poly Pictures joined hands with China Huaxin and CAS-LEONIS Digital Cinema Joint Laboratory to enable the DCP in 5G connectivity; with China Aerospace Construction Group Co., Ltd. and Spotlight to establish "smart self-service theaters"; and with Sheng Yue International to invest in creating a "large-scale immersive film technology thematic art exhibition", providing a new stage for the extension of Chinese film culture. The co-signed projects also included "cooperation in terminal technology innovation and strategic cooperation".

Bank of Beijing signed a strategic cooperation agreement with Poly Pictures Investment Co., Ltd. to provide it with an intentional credit of 1 billion yuan and a package of financial services in support of its theater operations. The move aims to help Poly Pictures become an operator of fine cinemas, a producer in characteristic content, a supplier engaged in integrating science and technology and entertainment, and a film culture disseminator.

Wanda Pictures released three films Mystery, Astrology, and Oversize Love. China Great Wall Art and Culture Center and China Film Co., Ltd. jointly released the film Space Intellectual. A number of key cinema circuit-oriented film projects including HerStory franchise, an IP focusing on female theme, were signed and released on site.

Focusing on the cultivation of young film practitioners, Beijing Jueluo Culture Media Co., Ltd. signed a contract with Hebei Film Studio to release the "Outstanding Young Actor Training Program". Beijing Youth Fund initiated the "Guanlan Program", which was signed and released in association with the China Britain Film Festival and 1988 Cultural Industry Group, aiming to establish a complete service system in the operations of the entire industry chain including film project incubation, production, marketing, distribution, copyright operation, and film festival exhibitions.

Based on the principle of "common value and shared growth", Beijing Rural Commercial Bank, an important force in the construction of national cultural centers for financial services, and Beijing Cultural Investment Development Group Co., Ltd., an investment and financing platform in the development of the capital's cultural and creative industries, signed a strategic cooperation agreement worth 1 billion yuan to drive the prosperity and innovation of the film industry.

The "Immersive Film and Television Character Experience Hall", a signed project between Hebei Runyongming Industrial Co., Ltd. and ELOOKIN, is China's first immersive movie-themed character experience hall, positioning itself as a "national pastoral complex". It is a key project among the cultural tourism projects.

The exploration of innovation in people's movie-watching behaviors was also reflected in the Contract Signing Ceremony. Bird Watch and Duzhe Publishing & Media Corp. signed the "Duzhe Cinema" project, and the two sides will conduct strategic cooperation in "Duzhe University" and Bird Watch • Future City. huashi.tv and LUCI Technology Development Co., Ltd. signed a cooperation agreement on "LUCI Fueling the 5G Era–Co-build a New Ecosystem for 5G + Ultra HD and VR Viewing".

Aoying International Media Group Co., Ltd. signed an agreement with Gemdale Corporation in the "Aoying Gemdale High-tech Film Cultural Tourism Industrial Park" to build a photography space in Beijing that suits the needs of big-budget films and TV series. Beijing Tongniu Culture Co., Ltd. and Trinity earth signed an agreement in the "Tongniu Film and Television Town", which is the first film and television base for depicting realistic themes in China, with special scenes such as high-speed rails, airplanes, subways, green trains and platforms, and large hospitals, as well as more than ten commonly used scenes for various role definitions such as homes, bars, and cafes, as well as 3 digital studios.

Beijing Cultural Investment Holdings Co., Ltd. and Bona Film Group Co., Ltd. signed a "strategic cooperation agreement" to make full use of their own resources and value, so as to bring benefits to both and broaden the path for the film industry.

Du Feijin, member of the Standing Committee and Director of the Publicity Department of Beijing Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China and Executive Vice Chairman of the Organizing Committee of the 10th Beijing International Film Festival, made concluding remarks and affirmed the role of the Beijing Film Market like "magnet". Over the past decade, based on the development of the film industry and with the theme of "display, promotion, exchange and transaction", the "Beijing Film Market" has developed three platforms, namely "Film Factor Transaction Platform", "Project Pitches Transaction Platform" and "Film Copyright Transaction Platform" to attract outstanding projects to be submitted and many commercial entities to sign projects and cooperate, forming strong cohesiveness and influence in the industry. The Beijing Film Market Contract Signing Ceremony has promoted negotiation and signing of 302 key projects over the past decade, with a total transaction volume of 165.028 billion yuan, a great validation of the acceptance and recognition of the platform in the industry.

By "fulfilling decade-long dream and working hard to press ahead", the 10th BJIFF continued to play the leading role as a cultural platform, and "share the screen, shape the future" and promote the prosperity and development of the Chinese film market together with companies in the industry.