The sudden outbreak of the novel coronavirus has brought many sectors to a halt. The film industry is among the first to be affected, with cinemas closed and productions either postponed or canceled.

Chinese actress Yan Bingyan believes that the COVID-19 pandemic is both a boon and a bane for the Chinese film industry, as it is a crisis but also brings opportunities.

"The pandemic is definitely a disaster for the whole industry as many projects had to be halted. But on the other hand, I think it's a good opportunity for us to stop and think about how to move forward," Yan said in an interview with CGTN during the ongoing 10th Beijing International Film Festival (BJIFF).

She said that China's film industry had been in a period of over-commercialization in recent years, with many people focusing on making money instead of producing high-quality films. "I think the whole industry is becoming more calm and mature than it was before the pandemic. Thanks to this special period of suspension, more people have started to think about how to develop the Chinese film industry in a rational way," Yan said.

As a dancer-turned-actress, Yan has won multiple awards over the past three decades, including the best actress title at the Golden Roosters and the China International Film Festival London. She also won the Best Actress for the Tiantan Awards, the top award at the BJIFF, in 2013.

The eight-day 10th BJIFF kicked off at the Yanqi Lake International Convention and Exhibition Center in Beijing on August 22, 34 days after the reopening of domestic cinemas which were shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic. The festival is holding both online and offline activities, but the red carpet of the opening ceremony, Tiantan Awards ceremony, film carnival and other activities have been cancelled for safety reasons.

The festival will bring more than 300 domestic and overseas films to be screened. More than 10 themed forums and other events will also be held, with the topics ranging from the film's development in 5G era to Sino-foreign film co-production.

"For any film festival, it's not just a party for industry insiders but for the public and those who love films. I hope that the Beijing International Film Festival can bring the audiences a colorful movie world," Yan said.

Reporter: Deng Junfang

Videographer: Zhou Yiqiu

Video editor: Chen Haomin

Cover image: Liu Shaozhen

Project manager: Deng Junfang

Supervisor: Zhang Shilei