China’s young short-film directors are winning awards at international festivals – could this new generation of auteurs revive Chinese cinema?

Driven by freedom and ‘a sense of mission’, Chinese short-film makers are gaining international recognition with wins at film festivals from Cannes to London

This comes as Chinese feature films are flagging internationally. Does the success of these young filmmakers herald another golden era for Chinese cinema?

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A still from The Water Murmurs, a short film directed by Chen Jianying. Chinese short films have enjoyed a recent wave of success at international festivals from Cannes to London.

Published: 7:15am, 1 Nov 2022

When Southern Afternoon, a short film directed by Chinese filmmaker Lan Tian, was awarded the Sonje Award at the Busan International Film Festival in South Korea on October 14, many thought China’s short-film industry had already had a good finish to the year.

And then three days later, another Chinese short film, I Have No Legs, And I Must Run, by Li Yue, won the Short Film Award at the London Film Festival.

It would appear that short films from China have been rushing to be crowned in recent times. The prizes for Lan and Li’s works follow several others that have made a name for themselves.

The highlight came earlier this year at the Cannes Film Festival, where three Chinese short films were recognised.

I HAVE NO LEGS, AND I MUST RUN trailer | BFI London Film Festival 2022

The Water Murmurs, directed by Chen Jianying, won the Short Film Palme d’Or – the festival’s highest prize for short films. Will You Look At Me, by Huang Shuli, received the first Queer Palm – awarded for brilliance in LGBT+-relevant films – given to China. Somewhere, by Li Jiahe, took second prize in La Cinef, a category for short films from film schools around the world.

Meanwhile, three short films by mainland Chinese directors are set to compete at the upcoming Golden Horse Awards in Taiwan – despite Beijing’s continued boycott of the event.