After a months-long lull in China's film festival circuit, courtesy of the coronavirus pandemic, the red carpet will be rolled out for up-and-coming directors this month at the FIRST International Film Festival.

The festival is the first in-person event to be held in the country since the outbreak and comes after other ceremonies in China and abroad have been postponed, moved online or canceled altogether.

FIRST, already in its 14th edition, shines the spotlight on emerging talents, offering them a platform to showcase their first tries, make their case in front of potential investors and learn from the industry's best.

For many, the festival is a springboard for aspiring directors to make a name for themselves, like Xin Yukun with his mystery drama titles "Deep in the Heart" (2014) and "Wrath of Silence" (2017) and Zhang Tao with his "Laughing to Die" (2015) about an old woman's sorry final days living with her unloving family.

For months, the organizers have been working for the festival to get off the ground. And with two weeks to go, they're promising a spectacle of bold visions and touching stories.

"There are many types of films in the competition this year. Many are soft sci-fi and crime films," said Song Wen, one of the festival's co-founders.

"In the context of the epidemic, many films are focusing on individuals, such as family and love," Song noted, adding that "We want to see young directors' works that combine multiple types of experimentation and personal expressions."

This year's event received 895 entries with 643 of them moving to the judging process.

The 2020 version continues the festival's tradition of balancing diverse perspectives in its jury panel, which will be chaired by director Peter Ho-sun Chan. Other members of the jury include artist Cao Fei, actress Hao Lei, editing director Kong Jinlei, screenwriter Liu Heng, director Zhang Ming, and voice director Zhao Nan.

In addition to screening events, FIRST also holds a financing forum, a film market, and other activities for filmmakers. Young helmers will compete for investors' attention, and cash, with their artworks, and being one of the shortlisted entries is the last stage before promoting their projects in front of representatives from 200 companies.

The festival is also offering special workshops and training camps for aspiring filmmakers. It's been a tradition at FIRST to invite internationally recognized filmmakers as tutors to preside over training sessions and visit filming sets to provide advice on story developing, directing, and film language.

The number of film applications sent to the committee this year dropped from the previous one, but organizers saw more demand for the training camp, with over 500 people signing up.

This year's edition is especially significant because of the coronavirus. The pandemic has gravely impacted the movie industry as cinema theaters closed, premieres postponed and shooting schedules delayed. Investment is also hard to come by amid exorbitant economic losses and growing financial uncertainties.

Young directors now need all the help they can get to launch their careers, and FIRST, Song said, can connect them to industry resources. The film market held by the festival can play the role of a bridge, allowing creators and investors to have close contact and communication.

But spectators might not be able to get the full experience this year. Film screenings were traditionally held in indoor cinemas, but this time organizers are bringing them outside as a precautionary measure during the pandemic.

"We will continue to hold outdoor film screenings, and because of the COVID-19 outbreak, we are considering expanding the scale of outdoor screenings," Song said. "Of course, we will also step up epidemic prevention and control efforts to ensure that audiences can watch the film in an open and safe environment."

Song says that they will abide by epidemic prevention and control measures and ensure participants are complying with social distance rules.

The FIRST International Film Festival debuted in 2006 in Beijing before relocating to the city of Xining in the western province of Qinghai.

The festival's decision to maintain its physical format is seen as the first step in the gradual resumption of activity in the battered sector. The 10th Beijing International Film Festival, which was initially scheduled between April 19 and 26, has been indefinitely postponed. Meanwhile, The 23rd Shanghai international film festival, originally slated for June 13 to 22, has also been rescheduled to an unconfirmed date, with organizers saying the red carpet event and both opening and closing ceremonies will be canceled when the event takes place.

FIRST will run from July 26 to August 3.

(Cover from the FIRST International Film Festival)