FIRST film festival to kick off in July as planned

The 14th FIRST International Film Festival will be held in Xining, Qinghai province in late July, and the organizers announced the competition selection on Monday.

The official selection includes 13 feature films, 8 documentaries and 13 shorts. They will compete for 10 awards at the festival.

All films are brand new for Chinese audiences, while 95% of the films will hold their world or Asian premiere in Xining, Qinghai province.

This year's jury committee will be led by Peter Chan. The jurors are actress Hao Lei, film editor Kong Jinglei, screenwriter Liu Heng, director Zhang Ming, and sound editor Zhao Nan.

The festival will run from July 26 to Aug. 3.

It is one of the few film festivals that can still take place on their original dates, without being delayed, canceled or switched to being held online due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The official Weibo account of the film festival posted: It is time to reach out to audiences. We have waited too long.

Funded by the Xining municipal government of Qinghai province and the China Film Critics Association, the FIRST International Film Festival aims to discover and showcase emerging filmmakers and their early works. Held annually in July in Xining, FIRST made its debut in 2006and has focused on filmmakers' first feature films and early works.

Over the last decade, many young filmmakers, including Fan Lixin, Ma Li, Hao Jie, Wen Muye, and Xin Yukun, have had their careers skyrocket after receiving recognition and critical acclaim at the festival.

FIRST official selection 2020

Feature films:

Slow Singing, director Dong Xingyi

Harhuu, director Boyanhkeshig

Only You Alone, director Zhou Zhou

Cafe by the Highway, director Shi Xiaofan

Damp Season, director Gao Ming

Victim(s), director Layla Zhuqing Ji

Leaping Over the Dragon Gate, director Xiao Yifan

Love Poem, director Wang Xiaozhen

Lost Lotus, director Liu Shu

Art Is Dead, director Zhou Shengwei

A Year in Tibet, director Gao Jian

A Branch to Roost, director Li Jifeng

The Partner, director Gao Han

Documentary films:

Tough Out, director Xu Huijing

Heart of A Lion, director Xu Weichao

Daughter of the Light, director Khashem-Gyal

Uncle Guo's DreamWorks, director Guo Shuang

This Too Shall Pass, director Li Baojiu

Shape of the World, director Zhao Xu

The Lovely Widow and Her Annoying Son, director Wang Kai

His Land, director Xie Shuchang

Short films:

White Horse, director Xu Yujie

The Water Will Carry Us, director Huang Shasha

Pomegranate, director Cheng Yu

A Bright Summer Diary, director Lei Lei

Dog Tick, director Yang Liang

No Flowers or Seasons, director Chia-Hsuan Yu

Ornithophobia, director Fu Xiaoyu

MaMa, director Lo Lou Ian

Elephant in the Car, director Ikram Nurmehmet

Growing Pains, director Lin Po-Yu

Pieces of April, director Zhou Xiaolin

The Town, director Bao Yifan

The Coin, director Song Siqi