Shanghai sparkled with cinematic glory as the 2025 China Film and TV Night opened on Sunday night to celebrate 120 years of Chinese cinema, blending cutting-edge technology with cultural heritage. The event, hosted by China Media Group (CMG) Shanghai Bureau and Yangshipin, a video platform under CMG, unfolded in four segments, blending historical depth with a forward-looking vision to pay tribute to more than a century of Chinese cinema.
The "CMG Annual Recommendations" segment showcased a selection of outstanding works and dedicated filmmakers who excel in telling Chinese stories.
Notable recommended works included the animated film "Ne Zha 2", the comedy-drama film "Her Story", and several TV series.
"This year, we revived the CMG Annual Recommendations segment to honor those who have broken new ground, demonstrated creativity, and remained steadfast in film and TV production, inspiring more artists to create more outstanding works. The event also introduced a special 'International Cross-Cultural Film and TV Recommendations' category to encourage producers to make globally influential content, promoting Chinese cinema and television worldwide and elevating its international standing," said Qu Shaman, chief director of the event.
Marking the 120th anniversary of the Chinese film industry, the event revisited the filming location of "Dingjun Mountain", China's first motion picture, using innovative technologies to recreate its shooting process and pay homage to the origins of Chinese film.
"In recent years, Chinese films have made significant strides in expanding thematic themes, innovating artistic forms, and conveying the values of Chinese stories. Filmmakers are actively exploring ways to resonate with audiences, the times, and society," said Yin Hong, vice chairman of the China Film Association and a professor of film and television studies at Tsinghua University.
The evening also featured the premiere of the multilingual documentary "Changjiang Estuary No. 2," produced by CMG's Shanghai-based national multilingual movie and TV translation and production base. The two-part film tells the story of how a wooden trading boat built in the mid-19th century was discovered in 2015, later to be salvaged and protected as an important archeological find.
Other highlighted works included the upcoming film "731 Biochemical Revelations", which recounts the horrors of biological and chemical weaponry used by Imperial Japan against China during World War II.
Additionally, the event officially launched the "27th Shanghai International Film Festival - Italian Film Week", during which over 20 acclaimed Italian films will be screened across Shanghai with nearly 100 showings scheduled.
China Film and TV Night opens in Shanghai to mark 120 years of Chinese films
