Art house film festival puts spotlight on women

Emerging as one of the most influential film events to gather art house talent, the FIRST International Film Festival recently concluded its 15th run in Xining, the capital of Northwest China's Qinghai province.

As one of the festival's highlights, a section titled First Frame screened six young Chinese filmmakers' directorial efforts, all focusing on women's lives or unfolding through women's perspectives.

Major creators from four of the six films shared their inspiration and behind-the-scenes stories at a forum held Aug 1, sponsored by Chanel and organized by the Xining festival.

The six films include director Wang Xide's A Chat, Gao Qisheng's River of Salvation, Wu Xia's Lady Bug and Ma Weijia's animated short film Step into the River.

Aside from the young talent, the festival has also attracted some A-listers, such as actress Zhou Xun, actor Jing Boran and director Sylvia Chang.

Duan Lian, a major organizer of the festival, said they hope the six films, which showcase many aspects of the status quo for women today, will encourage more young talent to create more works to examine the lives of women.