China is set to introduce international awards encompassing various areas of cultural exchange, including films and television series, in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, as revealed during a recent press conference in Beijing. The Golden Panda Awards, organized by the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles and the Sichuan Provincial People’s Government, will take place biennially and have a permanent home in Sichuan. The inaugural event is scheduled for September 19 to 20 in Chengdu.
Famed Chinese director Zhang Yimou has been appointed as the jury chairman, announced Zhang Hong, deputy director of the office of the Organizing Committee of the First Golden Panda Awards. Contrary to being just a professional film and television award, the Golden Panda Awards is an international communication award, embodying the idea of a shared global future. This internationality and openness are also reflected in the composition of the judges, with foreign judges constituting no less than 40% of the panel.
Designed to be a significant international event to bolster cultural exchanges and encourage mutual learning among various civilizations, the Golden Panda Awards welcomes exceptional film and television works that showcase humanity’s common values and aesthetic pursuits. The event aims to bring the world closer to China, allowing China to embrace the world and facilitate better cultural exchanges and mutual learning.
The First Golden Panda Awards comprises four categories: film, TV series, documentary, and animation. It includes three main activities: the Night of Golden Panda, Golden Panda International Cultural Forum, and Golden Panda Gala, and three supporting events: visiting events, public film screenings, and new exhibitions.
Wu Weishan, director of the National Art Museum of China, presented the visual designs of the awards, including its logo, mascots, and trophy. The logo, created by the Sichuan Academy of Fine Arts team, features a panda integrated with Tai Chi elements, symbolizing the interaction, exchange, and mutual learning between different cultures. The Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts designed the trophy, featuring a panda engraved atop bamboo joints, symbolizing the steadily increasing quality of each award.
Ren Zhonglun, a jury member of the First Golden Panda Awards and vice chairman of the China Film Association, disclosed that 90 films and TV series, selected from 7,024 submissions by artists from 104 countries and regions, including the US, India, and Iran, have been nominated for the next stage, commencing mid-September.
Gao Zhongwei, another deputy director of the office of the Organizing Committee of the First Golden Panda Awards, highlighted that the Golden Panda Awards, using the panda as a cultural symbol and films and TV series as a medium, establishes a platform for mutual learning and cultural exchange among civilizations, showcasing the world’s civilizational diversity.
Presently, the Chinese mainland hosts two international film festivals, located in Beijing and Shanghai.
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