During the 79th Cannes Film Festival, the “China Night” event and the “Chinese Cinema+” Forum, jointly hosted by China Film Producers’ Association and Beijing Wing Sight Culture and Media Co. Ltd., were grandly held on the afternoon of May 13 (local time) at the Palais Stage of the Marché du Film in Cannes, France. Centered on the theme “Intelligent Empowerment in Creation: The New Birth of Eastern Visual Storytelling,” the forum brought together leading figures from the Chinese and international film industries, including renowned directors, actors, international producers, and representatives from technology companies. Participants engaged in in-depth discussions on new pathways and opportunities for the deep integration of artificial intelligence and the film industry, while promoting exchanges and cooperation between Chinese cinema and the global film industry.
Distinguished Guests Gather as Chinese and International Filmmakers Celebrate the Event Together
The forum was moderated throughout by renowned host Liang Zhi. He Youlin, Consul General of the People’s Republic of China in Marseille; Qin Zhengui, Vice Director of the National Film Administration of China; Jiao Hongfen, Chairman of China Film Producers’ Association; Benoît Ginisty, Chief Representative of the International Federation of Film Producers Associations; Jia Yuan, Chairman of the Cannes China Night Organizing Committee, and other Chinese and foreign industry leaders attended the event and delivered speeches, witnessing in person the in-depth dialogue between Chinese film and the international arena.
He Youlin stated that, at a time when artificial intelligence is reshaping the global landscape, Chinese cinema is willing to work hand in hand with filmmakers around the world to embrace technological transformation while upholding the spirit of humanistic values.
Vice Director of the National Film Administration of China, Qin Zhengui noted that artificial intelligence is profoundly reshaping the ecosystem of the film industry, and that China’s film sector is embracing this transformation with an open, prudent and inclusive approach. He stated that the industry is actively exploring technologies such as AIGC-powered virtual production and intelligent filmmaking to reduce costs, improve efficiency, and expand the boundaries of creative expression. At the same time, China remains committed to a people-centered philosophy and the principle that technology should serve humanity. Emotional depth and human warmth, he emphasized, remain the soul of cinema, and AI should support creativity rather than replace it. He also highlighted the vitality and enormous potential of the Chinese film market, welcoming filmmakers from around the world to collaborate in China, share opportunities, and jointly explore new pathways for integrating technology and artistic expression.
Chief Representative of the International Federation of Film Producers Associations Benoît Ginisty emphasized that AI innovation and film creation should not be seen as opposing forces, and that copyright protection and technological development are equally important. He called for transparency and compliance in AI model training, with full respect for creators’ rights, while stressing that the essence of originality lies in human emotion and choice. Technology, he noted, should empower creativity rather than replace artistic creation. He also expressed hope that filmmakers worldwide would work together to ensure AI contributes to a healthy, fair, and sustainable film industry ecosystem.
Jia Yuan, founder of the Beijing Wing Sight Culture and Media Co., Ltd. and Chairman of the Committee of China Night, shared that since last year the company has transformed into a content-driven enterprise powered by AI technology. It has already released four self-produced historical documentaries and plans to launch more than ten AI-enabled productions this year. She stated that AI offers unique advantages in high-cost and technically demanding creative fields by reducing costs, improving efficiency, and breaking down creative barriers. At the same time, she emphasized that AI is merely a tool serving humanity, while content value remains the true core of the industry. Low-quality content, she noted, will inevitably be eliminated by the market. Chinese filmmakers, she said, should proactively embrace technological transformation and leverage AI to create high-quality productions that bring Chinese history and culture to global audiences through cinematic storytelling. Wing Sight aims to inject lasting vitality into film and television creation by combining technological innovation with strong content foundations.
Five Major AIGC Projects Unveiled as China Showcases AI Film Achievements Internationally for the First Time
The forum also featured the collective debut of several leading Chinese AIGC film and television projects, including China’s first AIGC animated film The Reunion Journey, China’s first AIGC documentary Legends of the South, and the first AIGC science-fiction film Sanxingdui. These projects highlighted China’s cutting-edge exploration in AI-generated content and virtual production technologies.
At the same time, The Yongchuan Tech Film Studio and the Bocai AI Virtual Film Base—both recognized as world-class benchmarks in AI-driven virtual production—were also presented. Demonstrating the intelligent upgrading of China’s film production infrastructure.
Embodied AI Enters Film Sets: Magic Lab Opens a New Chapter in Tech-Enabled Filmmaking
During the themed session on “Technology Empowering the Film Industry,” representatives from Magic Lab delivered a presentation exploring how embodied intelligence could become a new partner in the film industry. They outlined the potential for robots to support multiple production scenarios on film sets in the future.
Chinese and French Film Professionals Address Core Questions of the AI Era
Moderated by Liang Zhi, the roundtable discussion focused on the topic of “Creative Sovereignty in the Age of AI.” Participants included renowned director Li Shaohong, Li Lian from the Bocai AI Film Base, British film producer Sebastien Raybaud, French AI film expert Hadrien Gautrot, acclaimed director Jiang Ping, and French producer and AI filmmaker Jean Mach.
Director Li Shaohong noted that from film to digital technology and now AI, the tools have changed, but the essence of creation remains the same. AI, she said, liberates creators from physical labor, yet emotion, inspiration, and aesthetics still belong to humanity. The personal style of creators remains the soul of visual storytelling, and future production teams will place greater emphasis on “brain-oriented” creative roles such as screenwriters and directors. Citing the AI short film Hua Man Zhu as an example, she stressed the importance of localized AI training to help systems understand unique cultural aesthetics. “Technology determines the speed of progress, while love and civilization determine its direction,” she remarked, emphasizing that what truly moves audiences is always the humanity embedded within stories.
Director Jiang Ping encouraged filmmakers not to fear AI, but to actively embrace it and integrate it into the entire creative process. He argued that AI can never replace the life experience and authentic human insight rooted in real-world living, and that its output depends heavily on the quality of the material it is trained on. Regardless of how technology evolves, he said, the essence of storytelling, the original creative intention, and human emotion remain irreplaceable. Only by remaining grounded in life and staying true to artistic purpose can filmmakers truly harness AI to achieve a perfect integration of technology and art.
French AI film expert Hadrien Gautrot stated that AI possesses capabilities of combinational generation and probabilistic inference, and that its “machine creativity” derives from algorithms, training data, and the accumulated achievements of previous creators. However, he stressed that at the current stage, the true subject of artistic creation will always be human artists. To create genuinely innovative and high-quality works with the help of AI, creators must still rely on their unique aesthetic vision, artistic imagination, and value-driven expression.
Participants agreed that AI brings unprecedented opportunities and challenges to the film industry. Still, artistic purpose and humanistic care remain the heart of cinema, whatever the technology. Chinese filmmakers, they observed, are embracing technological transformation with openness and rationality while exploring new pathways for human-machine collaborative creation.
The “China Night” event and the “Chinese Cinema+” Forum successfully established an important platform for dialogue between Chinese cinema and the global film community. The event not only showcased China’s innovative achievements in AI applications and industrial upgrading within the film sector, but also conveyed the determination of Chinese filmmakers to uphold artistic integrity and promote the high-quality development of the industry. It provided both Chinese perspectives and practical models for the innovative development of the global film industry in the AI era, while further deepening international cooperation and creating opportunities for mutual success.
Company：Beijing Wing Sight Culture and Media Co., Ltd.
Contact Person: Yunyan Ding
Email: ttd@wingsight.com
Website: WingSight.com
City：Beijing, China
