The opening ceremony of the 7th Pingyao International Film Festival takes place in Pingyao on Oct 11. [Photo provided to goshanxi.com.cn] 

The 7th Pingyao International Film Festival opened with great fanfare in the Ancient City of Pingyao, North China's Shanxi province, on Oct 11.

Hosted by Pingyao Film Festival Co and the Shanxi Film Academy at the Communication University of Shanxi, this year's film festival is themed around "Modern Times" and features a special retrospective exhibition honoring the legendary filmmaker Charlie Chaplin. By revisiting the classics of film history, the festival aims to inspire reflections on the future.

People view a poster for the film festival. [Photo provided to goshanxi.com.cn] 

During the opening ceremony, the festival showcased an AI short film, a collaboration between the Pingyao International Film Festival and the School of Architecture at Tsinghua University. By utilizing AI technology, the short film brings three late directors, Fei Mu, Roberto Rossellini, and Charlie Chaplin, back to the screen, further resonating with the festival's theme. 

Over the course of eight days, the festival will screen 57 films from 33 countries and regions, including China, France, Tunisia, Argentina, Vietnam, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Portugal, Czech Republic, and Qatar. Among these films, 40 percent will be making their global debut.

A corner of the film festival. [Photo provided to goshanxi.com.cn] 

This year's festival will feature activities related to screenings, industry, education, and academia, focusing on new international directors, emerging Chinese directors, and promoting the development of Shanxi's film industry. 

Youthfulness and internationalism have always been the focus of the festival. Jia Zhangke, the founder of the festival, revealed that seven international programmers from renowned film festivals were invited to this year's event. They will have the opportunity to learn about the development and newest achievements of China's film industry, as well as meet and talk with young Chinese filmmakers, facilitating their growth and helping Chinese films go global. 

The festival will also collaborate with the China Writers Association to recommend the latest literary works with the potential to be adapted to films, aiming to provide a platform for the cooperation and incubation of audiovisual projects based on literature.