The first jury meeting of the 11th Beijing International Film Festival (BJIFF) was held at the Beijing Yanqi Lake International Convention and Exhibition Center on Tuesday. Jury president Gong Li, judges Chen Kun, Wuershan, Zhang Songwen, and Leste Chen attended the press conference and expressed the criteria for the award selection respectively. Finnish film director Renny Harlin and Lebanese actress and director Nadine Labaki met online due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In the process of film festival award selection, the criteria of the jury have always been the focus of attention. Gong Li, who has served as a jury member many times, said she will watch films rationally, but each jury member is free to give their opinion.

Judge Zhang Songwen, known for starring in the 2020 drama "The Bad Kids," admitted "no one can be 100 percent rational," when discussing the 15 films on the shortlist. 

However, he said he would watch them again and again to find out what was good about them. "There must be a reason they're in the selection," he said. "I don't know what the criteria are. I just know that watching a movie should be the same as watching art exhibitions and listening to music. There should be a personal orientation in it."

Chen Kun believed that a good performance is particularly personal and subjective. He said he hoped that he could remain objective throughout the judging process.

The 11th BJIFF runs from September 21 to 29, with nearly 300 films to be screened, according to the organizers.

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