Pingyao Film Festival Unveils Project Market Selections for Literary Adaptations and Development Slate
The 9th Pingyao International Film Festival has unveiled its project market selections across two key development programs, showcasing both literary properties available for adaptation and emerging filmmaking projects seeking industry partners.
The festival’s Literary Picturized Project (LPP) presents 15 works spanning from short fiction to full-length novels, representing a diverse array of contemporary Chinese literature available for screen adaptation. Among the standout titles is “Ocean Wind” by Zhao Defa, whose previous work was adapted into the acclaimed TV series “This Thriving Land.” The full-length fiction chronicles a fisherman’s son’s journey through northern China’s maritime history during the first half of the 20th century.
Author Bi Shumin contributes “To the Mountains We Belong,” a novel set in the 1960s and 1970s following young soldiers pursuing their ideals in extreme environments. The selection also includes works exploring contemporary themes, such as “The Self-Healers” by Lao Teng, which follows an AI engineer who flees to the Greater Khingan Range forests to escape deep anxiety.
The festival’s Pingyao Project Promotion (PPP) program presents 16 projects in various stages of development, ranging from intimate character studies to genre-bending adventures. Notable entries include “Girl Crush,” directed by Ravine Yang, which follows a chick-flick TV drama heroine who accidentally crashes into 2025’s real world and encounters a modern feminist for a journey of self-discovery.
Two projects carry special Shanxi Project designations: “A Cut Above,” directed by Jian Haodong, explores the relationship between a Shamate youth and a barber over a decade following an earthquake, while “Good, Bye,” directed by An Jingyi, weaves together stories of an undertaker, a tiger mom, and a street-fighting grandfather.
International representation comes through “Boys by the Sea” by Deng Qiaoshan, set in a millennium-era fishing town where a Korean boy becomes entangled in gang rivalry, and “The Flower Seller” by Emetjan Memet, which follows a depressed man’s encounter with a mysterious flower seller in a surreal world.
The project market selections reflect ongoing themes in contemporary Chinese cinema, from rural transformation stories like “Tales of the Taihang Mountains” and “The Best Fields Under Heaven” to urban character studies and genre experiments.
The 9th Pingyao Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon International Film Festival is scheduled for Sept. 24–30, 2025 in Pingyao, Shanxi, China. Acclaimed filmmaker Jia Zhangke, a leading figure of the Sixth Generation’ movement of Chinese cinema, established the festival in his home province of Shanxi.
The festival’s Literary Picturized Project (LPP) presents 15 works spanning from short fiction to full-length novels, representing a diverse array of contemporary Chinese literature available for screen adaptation. Among the standout titles is “Ocean Wind” by Zhao Defa, whose previous work was adapted into the acclaimed TV series “This Thriving Land.” The full-length fiction chronicles a fisherman’s son’s journey through northern China’s maritime history during the first half of the 20th century.
Author Bi Shumin contributes “To the Mountains We Belong,” a novel set in the 1960s and 1970s following young soldiers pursuing their ideals in extreme environments. The selection also includes works exploring contemporary themes, such as “The Self-Healers” by Lao Teng, which follows an AI engineer who flees to the Greater Khingan Range forests to escape deep anxiety.
The festival’s Pingyao Project Promotion (PPP) program presents 16 projects in various stages of development, ranging from intimate character studies to genre-bending adventures. Notable entries include “Girl Crush,” directed by Ravine Yang, which follows a chick-flick TV drama heroine who accidentally crashes into 2025’s real world and encounters a modern feminist for a journey of self-discovery.
Two projects carry special Shanxi Project designations: “A Cut Above,” directed by Jian Haodong, explores the relationship between a Shamate youth and a barber over a decade following an earthquake, while “Good, Bye,” directed by An Jingyi, weaves together stories of an undertaker, a tiger mom, and a street-fighting grandfather.
International representation comes through “Boys by the Sea” by Deng Qiaoshan, set in a millennium-era fishing town where a Korean boy becomes entangled in gang rivalry, and “The Flower Seller” by Emetjan Memet, which follows a depressed man’s encounter with a mysterious flower seller in a surreal world.
The project market selections reflect ongoing themes in contemporary Chinese cinema, from rural transformation stories like “Tales of the Taihang Mountains” and “The Best Fields Under Heaven” to urban character studies and genre experiments.
The 9th Pingyao Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon International Film Festival is scheduled for Sept. 24–30, 2025 in Pingyao, Shanxi, China. Acclaimed filmmaker Jia Zhangke, a leading figure of the Sixth Generation’ movement of Chinese cinema, established the festival in his home province of Shanxi.