Recently, the 15th Beijing International Film Festival (BJIFF) came to a grand conclusion. This light and shadow feast brings together global art creators, top scholars, industry leaders, and technology pioneers to shock the global pattern and insight into the future vision, focusing on film and television content innovation and industrial upgrading, and anchoring the new coordinates of global technological innovation.
Jilin Animation Institute made a big splash during the Festival. In the animation film and television unit, the school was invited to join the “National Colleges and Universities Animation Innovation Consortium”, released the original animation filmZap’s Last StandandThe Classic of Mountains and Seas-Birds Battle, and the production team ofZap’s Last Standmaterialized the virtual characters to carry out the immersive parade; co-hosted the Technology Forum and the launching ceremony of Light and Shadow Future Film Technology Unit with the Film, Television and Drama Research Center of Peking University, and shone at the core forum of BJIFF, attracting a lot of attention from the industry and was reported by many authoritative media.
Art, technology and education converge
Project Launch Site
On April 19th, JAI was the supporting unit in the theme activity of “Fantasy Animation in Spring” of Animation Film and Television Unit. The main theme of the event was “Promoting the high-quality development of animation industry”, creating a platform for collaboration between government, industry, academia and research. During the event, Jilin Animation Institute was invited to join “National Colleges and Universities Animation Innovation Consortium” and released the original animation movieZap’s Last StandandThe Classic of Mountains and Seas-Birds Battle. From the cyber narrative ofZap’s Last StandtoThe Classic of Mountains and Seas-Birds Battle, JAI has delivered two unique new answers under the wave of the new era with the integration of industry and education and the cross-fertilization of “technology + art”.
Scene of Cultural and Creative Animation Carnival
In the “Spring Animation Carnival”, the production team ofZap’s Last Stand, through the innovative form of “offline physical effects display + immersive parade”, materialized the highly recognizable virtual characters in the film with wonderful interpretation and interaction, successfully breaking the digital world view into reality.
Talent training, scientific and technological innovation show results
Award-winning site
On April 19, the results of the selection of college works in the Game-Animation-Film Unit of the 15th Beijing International Film Festival were announced. The animation worksChangeandFull Moon in Mid-Autumn Festivalcreated by teachers and students of JAI won the awards of “Outstanding Animated Short Film” and “Recommended Animated Short Film by Jury” respectively. The scale of this year's college works selection activity hit a record high, attracting the participation of more than 70 colleges and universities across the country, collecting more than 1,000 works, and finally selecting 56 masterpieces of excellence after strict evaluation by the jury. The two works of our school won the award, highlighting the remarkable results of the school's talent training and scientific research and innovation. The first school-enterprise seminar section was set up in this unit, and a school-enterprise seminar with the theme of “Cultural Integration of Cities, Digital Entertainment Empowerment” was held. Representatives of JAI, Communication University of China, Luxun Academy of Fine Arts and other 22 colleges and universities specializing in animation, film and tourism, as well as representatives of 13 cultural enterprises such as Yaolai International Film Management Co and FlyFinger. Peng Wei, Vice President of JAI, made a keynote speech on behalf of JAI at the seminar.
Initiative Resource Sharing
Contribute to the joint development of animation innovation
Conference site
On April 20, a meeting was held to promote the preparatory work of the National Collegiate Animation Innovation Consortium. Meng Rui, Deputy Director-level leader of Beijing Municipal Radio and Television Bureau, and Peng Feng, Dean of Peking University School of Art, attended the speech. Liu Xin, Vice Chairman of JAI, spoke at the meeting. The consortium aims to crack the bottleneck of industrial talents and promote the integration of industry, academia and research. At the meeting, Meng Rui put forward three major directions for the development of the animation industry, emphasizing the summary of the industrialization process, the construction of a collaborative innovation ecology, and the establishment of a value transformation system. Liu Xin said that as the first batch of undergraduate colleges in China to offer animation majors, the school adheres to the “integration of education, research and industry” schooling characteristics, and changes and innovates the talent cultivation mode. Looking forward to the establishment of resource sharing mechanism with brother colleges and universities in the consortium, we are willing to build an innovative development ecology with colleges and universities in the consortium with three “full cooperation and synergy”: one is to open up the resources and fully cooperate with the synergistic development; the second is to gather advantages and fully cooperate with the synergistic innovation; and the third is to build an ecosystem and fully cooperate with the synergistic empowerment. Announced at the meeting, Peking University, Beijing Film Academy, Communication University of China, Beijing Normal University, Zhejiang Media College, Jilin Animation Institute and other six colleges and universities for the first session of the innovation consortium governing units.
Project launch to share new achievements in science and technology
On April 21st, the Technology Forum co-hosted by the University and the launching ceremony of the “Light and Shadow Future” Film Technology Unit opened. With the theme of “New Quality Productivity Leads the Way to a Strong Film Country”, the forum was addressed by Huo Zhijing, Vice Minister of the Propaganda Department of Beijing Municipal Party Committee, Liu Weihua, Deputy Director of Beijing Municipal Science and Technology Commission, and Chen Xuguang, Professor of Peking University School of Art, Director of Peking University Film, Television, and Drama Research Center, Yangtze River Scholar, and Vice President of China Film and Television Society of Colleges and Universities.The China Film and Television Blue Book (2025)was released at the meeting, and a project release session and a roundtable dialog session were set up.
Project Launch Site
In the project release session, the representative of JAI made a project release entitled “Development and Application of Intelligent Bionic Technology in Film and Television Creation - Technological Breakthrough from Virtual Creatures to Live Action Characters”, which was a highlight. The release demonstrated the school's “integration of education, research and intdutry” school characteristics and practical creative achievements, and its intelligent bionic workshop research and development ofthe Classic of Mountains and Seasbeasts “Si” project, to realize the leap from the virtual to the real shooting technology to promote the transformation of the film and television industry, and applied to a variety of fields.
Talking about the innovative development of animation education in the age of AI
Liu Zhenhua gave a keynote speech
The Animation Technology Forum co-sponsored by our university was themed with “Animation Industry Upgrade and Education Innovation in AI Era”, gathering experts and scholars to exchange and discuss. The forum set up three links: keynote speech, project promotion and roundtable dialog. Liu Zhenhua, Executive President, Professor and Doctoral Supervisor of JAI, delivered a keynote speech on the topic of “Path reshaping and JAI practice of AI-enabled film and animation education”. Combined with the industrial changes triggered by AI technology, he introduced in detail the school's forward-looking thinking and landing initiatives in film and animation talent cultivation; school representatives promoted the integration of production and education results of the animated filmZap’s Last Stand, which premiered in Cannes, France, and was selected for the Columbus International Film and Animation Festival in the United States, and will soon be landed in the domestic summer stalls, and the students are deeply involved in the animation and film and television industry chain of practice creation. In the roundtable dialogues, guests discussed the new future of film and animation.
Project Promotion Session
This forum is not only a grand event integrating academic and practical exchanges, but also a crucial opportunity to advance the innovative development of China’s animation industry and education. The organizers vividly demonstrated innovative pathways for deepening industry-education integration through sharing cutting-edge concepts, showcasing benchmark achievements, and facilitating in-depth intellectual collisions.
Collision of Ideas: Exploring New Directions for Animated Films and Film Education
On April 21st, two round-table discussions at the Animation Technology Forum delved into the development of animated films and innovations in film education.
Focused on "China Film Blue Book (2025) and New Trends in Chinese Animated Films," Liu Zhenhua, Executive President of our institute, participated as a guest. Experts unanimously affirmed the Blue Book’s value as an intellectual resource, noting that it provides directional guidance for animated film creation while serving as an academic milestone for documenting film history and promoting Chinese cinema globally. Regarding AI’s impact on animation, experts predicted AI would catalyze explosive growth in the field and emphasized strengthening creative autonomy and ethical education in talent development.
Centered on “Innovations in Film Education and Animation Talent Cultivation in the AI Era,” the discussion was moderated by Yan Xin, Dean of Academic Affairs and Professor at our institute. Experts agreed that AI necessitates structural reforms in animation education, including curriculum redesign and enhanced integration of AI technical literacy. They advocated for interdisciplinary teaching, implementing integration of Education, Research and Industry, and fostering students’ creative decision-making abilities. On talent development, experts stressed balancing technical skills with humanistic values, urging institutions to uphold moral education while nurturing high-end creative talents with both technological expertise and artistic sensibility.
Round-table session
During this Beijing International Film Festival, Jilin Animation Institute broke boundaries with its diversified innovations! From animated film concept releases to frontier explorations in film technology, from award-winning works to deep industry dialogues, the institute’sIntegration of Education, Research and Industryphilosophy shone brightly. With an open and collaborative spirit, Jilin Animation Institute has injected robust momentum into the development of the animation and film industry. Moving forward, the institute will continue to pioneer innovation and explore new frontiers with industry partners, charting uncharted waters for the future of animation and cinema!
