The films document extraordinary events and sport has seen wonders. This year, the Beijing International Sports Film Week made its debut at the Beijing International Film Festival and held a thematic forum on 15 August at the Yanqi Lake International Conference Centre in Beijing. The forum invited renowned documentary and feature film directors, representatives of sports labels, directors of sports foundations, national team athletes and other guests from various fields to discuss the topic of “Why sports documentaries are getting hotter”.

Director, producer and editor Fan Lixin, director and scriptwriter Zhao Tianyu, director and scriptwriter Sheng Zhimin, founder of Dangfrog Sports, senior sports documentary producer, former director of LeTV Sports Programming Department and former founder and general manager of Dark Horse Sports Cai Qiude, secretary general and director of Beijing Yao Foundation Public Welfare Foundation Ye Dawei and Chinese ice hockey player Ying Rudi attended the forum. The forum was moderated by Wang Xiaoman, founder and chief curator of HiShorts! Xiamen Short Film Week.

This viewing forum took a look at the film itself and guests at the forum watched five sports films, including “Invisible Summit” and so on.

In the post-screening conversation, the guests shared the most moving stories from their own experiences during the shooting of the sports documentary and the guests discussed the topic of “Why sports films are getting hotter” in depth.

During the conversation, the directors first gave their views on “why they chose the sports genre”. Fan Lixin, a documentary film director and producer who has won many international awards, told the story behind making a film on sports with his work “Invisible Summit” as an example. He believes that films are ultimately about people and that this subject matter will have a certain resonance with audiences. He believes that the Chinese sports film market lacks such outdoor adventure films or documentaries with a spirit of adventure. Director and screenwriter Sheng Zhimin believes that the most important thing about sports films is their authenticity. We want both the industry to see the professionalism involved and the audience to feel the power in the midst of the camera. Chinese ice hockey player Ying Rudi elaborated on “emotions”. He believes that cinema can bring out emotions and that the movement itself brings its own emotions. Sports films are able to capture this emotion and convey it to the audience. The two are intertwined, allowing sports films to present a better expression.

Documentary Film Director and Producer Fan Lixin.

Director and screenwriter Sheng Zhimin.

Chinese ice hockey player Ying Rudi.

When talking about the entry of sports films into the mainstream film market, the guests analyzed several aspects, including the audience, consumption methods, the shaping of sports culture, and the public service nature of sports.

Fan Lixin believes that it is currently difficult to correlate fan culture with sports in China, and that the domestic sports audience has not developed a good growth trend, a real community culture and fan culture feeds back. In order to drive the development of the sports film market through the explosion of the sports industry, some new attempts are needed. For example, we can expand the market through various forms such as packaged film festivals’ cooperation with theatres, enhancing the value of the whole track and strengthening the expression of sports spirit in films, so as to promote Chinese sports films to the world and enhance the global influence of Chinese sports films. Sheng Zhimin also talked about the influence of audiences on the entry of sports films into the mainstream market. He emphasized that in the exploration of the mode of entering the mainstream market for sports-themed films, it is necessary to first enhance the audience's demand for the sports culture market, bring the audience into the sports culture consumption field, and then further promote the integration of sports-themed films with the mainstream market. Cai Qiude said that if you want sports films to really enter the film market, you have to focus on shaping the culture of sports. Domestic video retention for professional sports is very scarce, which requires tournament and IP parties to link up to make content and form their own effective market so that the real market dilemma can be solved. Ye Dawei used “Light Up” as an example to illustrate the impact of the public good of sport on the sports industry. The public has formed a consumer habit of enjoying free products. Domestic sports and cultural peripherals are actually at a very early stage. To promote the high-quality development of the sports industry, the government actually needs to guide and use its power to promote the development of the industry.

Founder of Dangfrog Sports, veteran sports documentary producer, former Director of LeTV Sports and former Founder and General Manager of Dark Horse Sports, Cai Qiude.

Ye Dawei, Secretary General and Director of the Beijing Yao Foundation.

In 2022, Beijing became the first dual Olympic city. This has not only renewed people's enthusiasm for sports, but also rekindled the enthusiasm of filmmakers to spread Chinese sports culture and help the dream of a strong sports nation. The passionate blood of Chinese athletes on the field of play is connected to reality through the screen, sending upward energy to the audience and igniting people's indomitable fighting spirit. Such subjects are extremely rich in storytelling and spirituality, and they deserve to be explored. With the historic breakthrough in competitive sports and the rise of national fitness to a national strategy, films with sports themes at their core will also have a wider scope for development.

From 13 August to 19 August, Beijing International Sports Film Week and the 12th Beijing International Film Festival will join hands to carry out a number of activities, including sports film screenings, sports film theme forums and sports film week retrospectives, to spread sports stories and pass on the spirit of sports. At the same time, Beijing International Sports Film Week and the 12th Beijing International Film Festival will set up a “Sports Film Project Support Fund” to help Chinese sports films bridge the gap between sports and ideas, and to bring the charm of sports to life in the world of light and shadow. Chinese sports films will also take their unique cultural spirit to the world. Keep your confidence up and keep your expectations alive, a miracle is just around the corner!