Festival puts a spotlight on short films

While droves of established filmmakers gathered at the Beijing International Film Festival, hundreds of up-and-coming young filmmakers and cinephiles rushed to an alternative film festival held from Aug 23-28 in Jiajiazhuang, a remote village in Fenyang city, North China's Shanxi province.

They were attending the 4th 86358 Short Film Festival at the village, the hometown of Chinese auteur and the festival's founder, Jia Zhangke.

With 1,032 entries into its major program, Chinese Language Shorts, 165 more than last year, the five-day event focused on exhibiting and promoting quality short Chinese language films and discovering promising young filmmakers.

During the festival, 16 short films made the cut and were screened along with 29 in three other programs – 10 in Special Screenings, 10 in Made in Shanxi, and eight in Focus on Hungary, a new category to showcase gems of the 2018 and 2019 Budapest Short Film Festivals.

Seven awards were presented at the closing ceremony.

Chinese Language Shorts handed out five awards – Best Film to Blessed Winter, Best Director to Liu Ziyang for Under the Full Moon, Best Screenplay to Lin Qiying for Secret Base, Best Cinematography to Wang Pengwei for A Young Tough, and the Jury Grand Prize to The Secret Child.