Recently, the China Outdoor Film Project (2014 Season), organized by Beijing Yingtao Sihua Culture Communication Co., Ltd., has officially kicked off. Its official website www.chinaoutdoorfilmfest.com has also gone live and is now open for submissions.
The project aims to discover and nurture local Chinese documentary filmmakers focusing on outdoor themes, and to gather high-quality works that explore domestic outdoor documentary subjects. The call is open to a wide range of themes, including mountaineering, skiing, rock climbing, cycling, off-roading, skydiving, stream tracing, as well as nature, environment, culture, and ecology. The content can showcase extraordinary outdoor sports skills or recount adventure stories, but must use the artistic language of documentary filmmaking to convey the endless, ever-exploring spirit of the outdoors; a respect for nature and a healthy, positive lifestyle; and an optimistic, enterprising attitude toward life that fears no hardship. Anyone who loves outdoor activities and possesses a documentary mindset—regardless of age, gender, or nationality—can sign up through the official online platform for this event.
The submission deadline for films is May 15, 2014. Through preliminary selection and final judging, awards will be presented in multiple categories, including Best Climbing Film, Best Outdoor Sports Film, Best Outdoor Culture Film, Best Exploration & Adventure Film, and Best Outdoor Short Film. The selected films will begin touring screenings in early June. Industry experts such as Chen Hong, a veteran Chinese TV producer; Fan Lixin, a renowned documentary filmmaker; Gan Lu, an acclaimed documentary director; Kerry Staruff, jury member of Banff Mountain Film Festival and Media & Film Director of Banff Centre; Bruce Normand, world-renowned mountaineer and winner of the Piolet d’Or; and Qian Haiying, head of the China Tour for the Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour—will be invited to serve on the expert judging panel. Winning works will have the opportunity to participate in the selection process for the Banff Mountain Film Festival in Canada via a fast-track entry, and winning teams will receive certain levels of production support.
Background:
In 2010, Ms. Qian Haiying, founder of Beijing Yingtao Sihua Culture Communication Co., Ltd., officially brought the Banff Mountain Film Festival—known as the "Oscar of the Outdoors"—to China, introducing Chinese audiences to the world’s latest and greatest outdoor documentaries and the lifestyles they portray every year. Today, after five years in China, the Banff Film has not only become a benchmark for outdoor culture and driven the development of China’s outdoor industry, but has also inspired countless people to reflect on life and living.
In 2013, to encourage the creation of Chinese outdoor-themed documentaries and discover emerging local directors, Beijing Yingtao Sihua Culture Communication Co., Ltd. launched the “China Outdoor Documentary Unit” screening event. With the theme of “Joint Development and Resource Sharing,” the China Outdoor Documentary Unit is committed to being industry-oriented, professional, innovative, and both accessible to the public and market-driven. It serves as a platform to promote the development, exchange, and collaboration of China’s outdoor documentary film industry, fully reflecting cultural characteristics and striving to build a globally oriented outdoor cultural exchange brand with “international standards and Chinese features.”
2013 China Outdoor Documentary Unit Screening Venue
In 2013, the “China Outdoor Documentary Unit” received over 60 submissions, from which 16 were selected for screening. These were shown at the main venues (a thousand-seat theater) in Beijing and Shanghai. All the creators traveled from near and far to step onto their stage and share their filmmaking experiences with the audience. The event received an enthusiastic response from the outdoor documentary community and general audiences alike, with extensive media coverage following the screenings.
In 2014, the “China Outdoor Documentary Unit” was renamed the “China Outdoor Film Project.”
The big stage of the 2014 “China Outdoor Film Project” is waiting for you~!We look forward to your active participation.
For more details, please follow:
Official Website: http://chinaoutdoorfilmfest.com
Official Weibo: http://weibo.com/chinaoutdoorfilmfest
Official WeChat: banff_china