An academic dialogue on film education and industry takes place during the 4th Pingyao International Film Festival, which is ongoing in Pingyao county. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

North China's Shanxi province will have its own film academy before 2021, with a famous filmmaker as president, according to a report from the 4th Pingyao International Film Festival which is currently ongoing in local Pingyao county. 

With Chinese film director and festival founder Jia Zhangke as its president, the Shanxi Film Academy will make the main campus of Communication University of Shanxi as its head center and build two teaching and practice bases in Pingyao county and Fenyang.

A practice base in Pingyao county will consist of the existing venues of the film festival and Tianlu Lake Eco-Tourism and Cultural Industrial Park, and will be responsible for film and television shooting and film education.

Another facility in Jiajiazhuang village in Fenyang, which is hometown of Jia Zhangke, will be a teaching practice base. It will hire professionals from the world of film to establish master studios and teach 500 to 800 students. 

Freshmen and sophomores at the academy will take professional and public courses at Communication University of Shanxi. Junior students will go to master studios in the base in Jiajiazhuang village for intensive professional training. Senior students will participate in film production in the bases in Pingyao and Jiajiazhuang.

The Shanxi Film Academy will give students a relatively open mindset and education in the future, Jia said in remarks made about the new academy during the 4th Pingyao International Film Festival from Oct 10 to 19.

As the art of film has been changing with the changes in communications methods and media technology, only by maintaining an open mind and trying something new can students remain innovative in their creative process, Jia said.