Beijing Film Festival spotlights China-Europe ties in Locarno

The Beijing International Film Festival hosted its 2026 Beijing Film Night in Locarno on Aug. 14 during the 79th Locarno Film Festival, using the event to promote film exchange, talent development and potential co-productions between China, Switzerland and Europe. Organizers also framed Beijing as an increasingly film-friendly city ahead of the festival’s 17th edition.

Why it matters: - The Locarno appearance gives the Beijing International Film Festival a high-profile platform inside one of Europe’s major A-category festivals. - The event is designed to deepen film cooperation between China and Switzerland, and more broadly between China and Europe. - Organizers want to use film to connect projects, talent and markets across borders.

What happened: - The Beijing International Film Festival organizing committee held “Beijing Film Night 2026 — Presentation of the Beijing International Film Festival in Locarno” on the evening of Aug. 14 local time in Locarno, Switzerland. - The presentation took place during the 79th Locarno Film Festival. - More than 100 guests attended, including representatives of film festivals, film institutions, producers, directors and international media from Switzerland and across Europe. - The event featured the festival’s official image film and clips from standout Beijing International Film Festival titles.

The details: - The presentation highlighted the Beijing festival’s history and its international platform for film exchange. - The Beijing festival’s guiding idea is “share resources, create the future together.” - The Locarno Film Festival was founded in 1946, the same year as Cannes, and has spent more than seven decades supporting arthouse cinema, new talent and experimental work. - Beijing festival representative Li Xiangyuan outlined the Tiantan Award’s structure and judging process. - Li also described the role of the festival’s venture capital and incubation area in supporting new talent and connecting projects with industry resources. - Li cited ties between the two festivals, including Chen Kaige’s 1985 Silver Leopard win for Yellow Earth in Locarno and later appearances there by Jackie Chan, Hou Hsiao-Hsien, Jia Zhangke, Bi Gan and Qiu Sheng. - Li said French director Claire Denis received Locarno’s Honorary Golden Leopard and was later invited to serve as a juror for the Beijing festival’s Tiantan Award. - The Beijing festival says it is building a warm, people-centered “film city” by integrating film into daily urban life. - The festival says its April program turns Beijing into a citywide film event with screenings in and outside cinemas, outdoor showings in parks and alleys, and packed masterclasses and salons. - The organization said the festival has spent 16 years growing into a key link between Chinese and international filmmaking. - The committee invited international filmmakers to Beijing for the 17th Beijing International Film Festival.

Between the lines: - The Locarno stop was not just promotional. It was also a signal that Beijing wants its festival to function as a bridge for co-production, incubation and talent discovery. - Locarno’s focus on arthouse and emerging voices fits the Beijing festival’s push to present itself as both an industry platform and a curator of new talent. - The repeated references to collaboration suggest the festival is trying to position Chinese cinema as more globally networked, not only nationally visible. - The emphasis on Beijing as a “film city” shows an effort to brand the festival as part of the city’s cultural identity, not a standalone industry event.

What’s next: - The Beijing International Film Festival says it will keep expanding its international cooperation network and deepen its global reach. - The festival plans more exchange around screenings, project incubation, talent development and international co-productions. - Organizers are already looking ahead to the 17th edition in Beijing next April.

The bottom line: - Beijing used Locarno to make a straightforward pitch: Chinese cinema wants more European partners, more international talent and a bigger role in the global festival circuit.