Industry reflections
Beyond the trophies and speeches, however, it was the quieter reflections that carried the most weight. This year marks the 121st anniversary of Chinese cinema. The industry now spans more than 93,000 screens across over 15,500 theaters, making it one of the largest film markets in the world. Yet, scale has not insulated it from pressure.
Artificial intelligence is beginning to influence storytelling processes. Younger audiences are gravitating toward short-form video. Traditional theatrical viewing is no longer the default. These shifts have prompted unease among industry veterans.
Novelist and screenwriter Liu Zhenyun said that writers today face mounting difficulties, as their work is shaped by many forces — directors, actors, producers, and even data-driven algorithms. In the future, he suggested, writers may find themselves "negotiating" with artificial intelligence, which could attempt to steer creative decisions.
"Yet, what a storyteller truly seeks is to preserve beloved characters — their joy, anger, struggles and sorrow — in moving images, so that they may endure for decades, even centuries," said Liu, expressing a firm belief that human creativity cannot be replaced by AI.
Marco Muller, an Italian film scholar who has developed a strong connection with Chinese cinema over the past 40 years, recalled introducing director Chen Kaige's Yellow Earth to the West. The film won the Silver Leopard Award at the 38th Locarno Film Festival in 1985.
"Since then, I have tried to serve as a bridge connecting Chinese films to the world, and I have been fortunate enough to witness how Chinese stories have gradually made their way onto the global stage," said Muller.
"With Ne Zha 2 ranking among the top five in global box office history, this child (the titular deity Nezha) who refuses to accept fate has captivated many audiences who have never been to China," he added.
"In recent years, China has also seen a wealth of creative talent and outstanding stories, such as Dead to Rights — which has conquered global audiences with its authentic narrative and historical storytelling. You don't need to tailor stories to others. If you stay true to your culture, the world will come to you," said Muller.
