From November 11 to 15, GRIFF Industry was held in Xiamen. Over its 5 event days, it hosted 16 themed events, including the International Roundtable, the Golden Rooster Promotion Conference and the Golden Rooster Film Academy, as well as market screenings of 10 feature films. By inviting international guests and broadening international perspectives, it provided a platform for exchange and cooperation for filmmakers from Chinese-speaking regions and promoted the internationalization of the Chinese-language film industry.
This year marks the third edition of GRIFF Industry. Guided by its mission of “showcase, promotion and exchange”, it has continued to refine its sections and sharpen its focus. On the one hand, GRIFF Industry remains rooted in the mainland film and television industry while reaching out to Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan and overseas Chinese-speaking regions, helping to build a large market for Chinese-language films. On the other hand, new technologies such as AI and XR are rapidly and profoundly changing the ecosystem of film creation. Against this background, the questions are how Chinese-language films can further expand into international markets and how to think about the present and future of cinema. Through its series of events, GRIFF Industry is gradually clarifying the position of the Chinese-language film market in space and time.
International guests answer creators’ questions on site
How can young filmmakers with limited resources use international cooperation to help complete their feature films? On November 12, GRIFF Industry held the first Golden Rooster International Roundtable, inviting international film festival directors, programmers and representatives of film funds from various countries to GRIFF Industry. They explained the selection criteria and processes of leading international film festivals to the young filmmakers present, and outlined opportunities in taxation, co-production policies and fund support in global film cooperation, offering young filmmakers a clear and practical approach.
During the festival, the international guests stayed at the market throughout, meeting industry professionals face to face and answering their questions, helping Chinese filmmakers understand international cooperation models and obtain a “guidebook” to top international film festivals.
From IP to finished films: driving cooperation on quality international projects
Building on last year’s 3 sessions in Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, the Golden Rooster Promotion Conference added a mainland session, an Asian film session and a science fiction IP session. With well-known filmmakers attending and industry insights released, the projects presented covered the global market, and cooperation spanned every stage from IP to projects in production to finished films.
The three sessions for Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan built on last year’s success and were again well attended this year. At the Hong Kong session, actor Tony Leung Ka-fai and veteran director Stanley Kwan held a conversation with promising young Hong Kong actors, reflecting how Hong Kong filmmakers pass on their craft from one generation to the next. Four new Hong Kong films, Reversal in the First Half, Killer #4, Electrified and Four Trails, were presented. Through presentations and screenings, these films of diverse genres will have the chance to reach audiences across the country.
The Macao session again introduced two funding programs, “Filming in Macao” and “Macao Elements”. The director of Lucky Pavilion, a project presented at last year’s session, shared experience of shooting and distributing in cooperation with the mainland, in the hope that more films will be shot in Macao.
Now in its third year, the Taiwan session showcased the latest work of Taiwan cinema. The projects presented showed not only the breadth and depth of Taiwan cinema in subject matter and storytelling, but also the vision and drive of Taiwan filmmakers in IP development and in extending commercial value. A literary IP segment, held for the first time, presented to mainland audiences familiar works such as the novels of Chiung Yao and Biography of Mr. Five Willows, reflecting the close cultural affinity across the Taiwan Strait.
Together with film screenings, the Cross-Strait Film Night and other events, the Taiwan session has rounded out a multidimensional platform for cross-Strait film and cultural exchange, promoting mutual understanding and practical cooperation among filmmakers on both sides. Filmmakers across the Strait will continue to use cinema as a bridge to jointly promote the development of Chinese-language cinema on both sides.
The mainland session focused on the global market for Chinese films. International festival programmers and representatives of film institutions and companies were invited to meet the teams of 5 new mainland films, with the aim of expanding global cooperation opportunities. Going forward, the mainland session is positioned as an important window for bringing Chinese films to the global market and will continue to support their global distribution.
At the conference, iQIYI introduced its “Pre-Breakout Program” and “Prairie Fire Program”, which offer investment of up to RMB 30 million and streaming support to give young directors more opportunities. Damai Entertainment’s Dengta Pro released a special report, Why Audiences Pay and Why They Stay Away: Insights into Word-of-Mouth Decisions of Chinese Film Audiences in 2025. Taking a combined “entertainment + AI” perspective, Dengta analyzed audiences’ viewing decisions, how word of mouth forms and how consumer behavior is changing.
As a highlight of this year’s Golden Rooster Promotion Conference, the Asian film session was also included in the Action Plan List of the Ministerial Meeting on Global Civilizations Dialogue. Asian countries are geographically and culturally close. Chinese cinema is opening up to the world and to Asia, and also welcomes quality Asian film projects to the Chinese market, promoting dialogue and exchange among civilizations in Asia. Film projects from Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam and elsewhere were presented at the session.
At the science fiction IP session, presentations of 6 science fiction IPs and a roundtable showed the range of Chinese science fiction creation. Through technological innovation and cross-sector cooperation, these projects may form a global IP portfolio that combines cultural depth with market value.
Exploring creative possibilities from zero to infinity
The Golden Rooster Film Academy invites leading international filmmakers and industry experts to share their creative thinking and practical experience. These focused exchanges gave young creators who are still exploring and developing a substantial body of ideas.
This year, the Golden Rooster Film Academy held 5 sessions, ranging from short films to a master class with an international filmmaker, from animation to building IPs worth tens of billions of yuan, and to changes in filmmaking in the era of XR technology, helping young filmmakers understand the many possibilities of the moving image in the future.
Acclaimed Hungarian director Ildikó Enyedi came to the Golden Rooster with her new film Silent Friend and held an in-depth conversation with Peking University professor Dai Jinhua about her approach to filmmaking. Their candid, wide-ranging exchange gave the audience two engaging hours of “Golden Rooster moments”.
With new media forms and new technical tools, young filmmakers have more choices but also more uncertainties. This year, the Golden Rooster Film Academy focused on animation, short films and XR filmmaking, holding three in-depth knowledge-sharing sessions. Working animation directors, short film mentors and academic experts shared their experience in their respective fields with the creators present. The guests’ varied career paths gave young directors clear points of reference and encouragement.
Project signings set a benchmark for the industry
Following last year’s model, GRIFF Industry this year organized on-site project signings to present recent results of Xiamen’s investment promotion in the culture, film and television industries. At the signing ceremony for Xiamen culture, film and television industry projects, 177 projects were signed, including 4 projects worth RMB 1 billion or more and 94 projects worth more than RMB 100 million, with a total contract value of RMB 31.86 billion. These are both investment results generated by the Golden Rooster effect and an example of cross-Strait film and cultural exchange facilitated by the Golden Rooster platform.
The signed projects focus more on film and television, music, art and other fields that support Xiamen in becoming “a cultural center, a city of art and an island of music”, place greater focus on new quality productive forces in the cultural sector, and give greater weight to exchange and cooperation with Taiwan in the cultural industries.
Connections that last throughout the year
Exchanges at GRIFF Industry go beyond the stage. At the Cross-Strait Film Night and the Chinese-Language Film Night, old friends met again and new friends were made. 5 presenters introduced 15 upcoming Chinese-language films, and the 6th Golden Rooster Cross-Strait, Hong Kong & Macao Youth Short Film Season provided a platform for exchange and discussion among young filmmakers from both sides of the Strait.
Looking ahead, GRIFF Industry’s network will keep growing, extending from the festival to the whole year and from Xiamen to wider markets around the world.
In its third year, GRIFF Industry combined its sections to support global cooperation for Chinese-language films. With a clearer position, GRIFF Industry will continue to invite film professionals from China and abroad to meet and negotiate during the China Golden Rooster & Hundred Flowers Film Festival, helping Chinese films go international, and invites international projects to the mainland market for in-depth cooperation across the whole industry chain.
In the future, GRIFF Industry will prepare thoroughly in advance, provide long-term services after the festival, and carry out international cooperation in practical terms. To meet the language and policy needs of young mainland filmmakers in international cooperation, it will prepare international materials for subsequent project pitches and negotiations, and communicate needs in advance in order to invite international guests in a targeted way.
Through a series of more targeted events, GRIFF Industry will serve as an important node in its year-round services. Filmmakers are invited to start from this node and explore more possibilities for cooperation in Chinese-language cinema.
Contributed by | GRIFF Industry
Edited, proofread and laid out by | Festival Publicity Department
