Filmmakers worldwide to gather in Chengdu this September

The second Golden Panda Awards will be held in Chengdu from September 12 to 13, bringing together leading filmmakers and cultural figures from around the world in a celebration of cinematic excellence and creative exchange.

A total of 27 honors will be presented across five categories: film, TV drama, documentary, animation, and a special jury prize.

This year's awards will also feature three main events -- an international cultural forum, a series of parallel sessions, and the awards gala.

At a press conference in Beijing on Friday, organizers described the event as an open and inclusive cultural celebration of ideas.

"One of the most distinctive features of this year’s Golden Panda Awards is that it is more international, more comprehensive, and more professional," said Hu Yun, a member of the organizing committee.

The Awards received more than 5,000 submissions, nearly three-quarters of which came from overseas, representing 126 countries and regions.

Renowned filmmaker Chen Kaige will serve as Jury President, joined by international directors.

"As a filmmaker who has worked in this industry for over 40 years, I'm delighted to serve as jury president of the second Golden Panda Awards. We look forward to meeting our peers in Chengdu this September to witness the event together," said Chen.

Beyond the Awards, the festival will host a range of cultural activities, including "Face to Face with Pandas" highlighting the beauty of nature and ecology, and a global short-video contest that has already attracted over 65,000 entries from more than 40 countries.

"I am going to learn how the film industry here in China works, what are the opportunities for local and international films, what international movies can be exported here and be promoted," said Maria Baptista Mbina, a reporter.

Launched in 2023, the Golden Panda Awards quickly gained international recognition.

As part of this year’s sidebar events, a special screening program will run throughout September, bringing films to more than 20,000 communities across Sichuan Province, aiming to spark a seasonal wave of cinematic enthusiasm and create a cultural feast.

China's outstanding aggregate social financing -- the total amount of financing to the real economy -- reached 442.12 trillion yuan (about 63.4 trillion U.S. dollars) as of the end of 2025, up 8.3 percent year on year, central bank data showed on Thursday.

The country's aggregate social financing stood at 35.6 trillion yuan (about 5.1 trillion U.S. dollars) in 2025, up by 3.34 trillion yuan (about 479 billion U.S. dollars) from the year 2024, said the People's Bank of China (PBOC), the country's central bank.

According to the data, the M2, a broad measure of money supply that covers cash in circulation and all deposits, increased 8.5 percent year on year to 340.29 trillion yuan (about 48.8 trillion U.S. dollars) as of the end of December.

In addition, outstanding yuan loans stood at 271.91 trillion yuan (about 39 trillion U.S. dollars) at the end of 2025, up 6.4 percent year on year.