PINGYAO PREMIERE
The Pingyao International Film Festival will mark its 10th edition with a run set for Sept. 24–30, at the Pingyao Festival Palace in Shanxi Province. Founded in 2017 by director Jia Zhangke, the festival spans four programs: Screening, Market, Cultivation and Academics. The Screening slate will include Crouching Tigers, dedicated to emerging directors’ debut, second or third features; Hidden Dragons, reserved for Chinese-language filmmakers at a similar career stage; and Galas, showcasing major works and festival prizewinners. Films in Crouching Tigers and Hidden Dragons will compete for the Roberto Rossellini Awards and the Fei Mu Awards, with the Fei Mu Best Film prize carrying a cash award of RMB1 million ($140,000) and Best Director earning RMB200,000 ($28,000). Past editions have showcased early works from directors including Chloé Zhao, Wei Shujun and Liu Jian, among many others.
BHOPAL BOW
India’s Madhya Pradesh state will get its own festival platform, with the inaugural People’s International Film Festival of India (PIFFI) set for Dec. 17–20, at Rabindra Bhawan in Bhopal. Organized by the People’s Art, Culture and Education Foundation, the four-day, competitive event will screen features, shorts, documentaries and AI-assisted films, alongside masterclasses, panel discussions and a closing awards gala. Filmmaker Anwar Jamal serves as festival director, with critic Saibal Chatterjee heading programming and Ruchi Vijayvargia chairing the organizing committee. The advisory board includes directors Adoor Gopalakrishnan and Sudhir Mishra and former Film and Television Institute of India director Tripurari Sharan.
TAIYUPIAN TRIBUTE
The Singapore Film Society, Asian Film Archive and Taiwan Film and Audiovisual Institute will team up for Treasured Legacy: Celebrating 70 Years of ‘Taiyupian,’ running Sept. 4–6, at the Oldham Theatre in Singapore. The program, Asia’s first stop on a world touring series, will present five newly restored classics spoken in Taiwanese Hokkien and the Amoy dialect, including Southeast Asia premieres of “Zhang Di Seeks A-Zu,” “Good Neighbors,” “The Rice Dumpling Vendors” and “Romance at Lungshan Temple,” alongside the archive’s restoration of “Taming of the Princess.” A free public talk on Amoy-dialect cinema will accompany the screenings.
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