Pingtan, Chinese mainland’s closest neighbor of Taiwan, successfully held its first IM Cross-Straits Youth Film Exhibition last year. IM is the abbreviation of "In Moments," which means "from this moment on." The exhibition aims to give support to young filmmakers on both sides of the Taiwan Straits.

After bidding "adieu" to the IM last October, IM’s “classmates” are like stars interspersing everywhere, relentlessly on the go. A progressive way of life leads to unstoppable growth. Just like what film director Wang Xiaoshuai, 2020's presiding jury said, "Filmmakers are forever young."

What are IM's "freshmen" up to recently? After re-visiting the 120 creators who entered the semi-finals last year, reporters learned that 32 are ready for their new projects. 14 are in the preparation while 9 have declared their intention but have yet to take action.

This year’s carnival is exclusively open to the top 120 contestants of the 2020 IM Cross-Straits Youth Film Festival, soliciting their ongoing lengthy film proposals or scripts. In the end, no more than 8 works will be shortlisted for this year's film festival, and a mentor team comprised of professional scriptwriters, directors and editors will provide comprehensive guidance for finalists.

In 2021, IM Cross-Straits Youth Film Festival joins hands with "Chinese Next" or CNEX, a non-profit non-governmental cultural and creative organization. Founded in 2006, CNEX is devoted to archiving human stories and documentaries of the Chinese people while striving to bridge China and the world.

CNEX has gathered professionals from all over the world and has a strong lineup of mentors. Ms. Chen Lingzhen, co-founder and CEO of CNEX, was invited to be the final judge of the IM Cross-Straits Youth Film Festival 2020. In 2021, IM Cross-Straits Youth Film Festival will join hands with CNEX to provide more possibilities for young creators.

Timeline:

                 Submission: May 24 to June 20

                 Announcement of selected works: Mid-to-late July

                 2021 IM Festival: August 25-28

Selected creators will join a 4-day training camp in Pingtan, where they will learn from tips of the trade from veteran directors, screenwriters, and editors. Outstanding feature films stand a chance to be recommended in renowned film festivals at home and abroad. Brilliant non-feature films can go straight to the "Seed Project" of the 2022 CCDF CNEX Chinese Documentary Proposal Conference. Notable works also run a good chance to have their production supervised by veteran professionals via commendation from IM Cross-Straits Youth Film Exhibition.

Participants who meet the requirements can click here to enter the official website for registration.

Read more:

                   Pingtan to host cross-Straits film exhibition

                   IM Cross-Straits Youth Film Festival Awards Ceremony Held in Pingtan

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