The southwestern Chinese city of Chengdu will host the first Golden Panda Awards from September 19 to 20, with 90 works shortlisted for the event. 

The Golden Panda Awards is a new event recognizing the best films, TV programs, documentaries and animations which were released or exhibited in a certain country or region from July 1, 2021 to March 31, 2023. 

A variety of panda-themed activities will be held during the two-day event, according to a press conference held in Beijing on Saturday morning.

The first Golden Panda Awards features a total of 25 awards across four categories: film, TV drama, animation and documentary. There will be nine awards for film achievements, nine TV drama awards, four awards to honor documentaries and three awards for animations.

It also features three key activities and three sideline events. Guests will meet industry insiders at a reception, forums and the awards ceremony. They may come across film and TV stars while they watch movies at cinemas or the city's cultural landmarks. They will also experience local culture by visiting the city's giant panda breeding research base and touring the region's cultural heritage sites.

As the highest-level awards in China for international communication, the Golden Panda Awards aims to promote outstanding film and TV programs that manifest shared values of mankind and resonate with the universal pursuit of aesthetics from around the world. The event is committed to deepening intercultural exchanges and enhancing international friendship.

Hosted by the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles and the Sichuan provincial government, the event will be held every two years in southwest China's Sichuan Province.

Why Sichuan?

The image of the adorable and chubby panda is featured in the Golden Panda Awards' logo, mascot and trophy, which were released at the press conference- over 70 percent of China's wild pandas live in Sichuan. 

When asked why the landlocked province was chosen to host an event on films and TV drama, Hu Yun, vice governor of Sichuan, said the province has the largest film and television audience in the western region of China.

"In the first half of this year, Chengdu's movie box office ranked fifth among Chinese cities, behind first-tier cities such as Shanghai, Beijing, Shenzhen and Guangzhou," said Hu.

Hu also pointed out that Sichuan has maintained strong ties with different regions across the world, setting up friendly relations with 456 provinces, cities and counties overseas, which ranks first in central and western China.

Diversified nominations

A total of 7,024 works from 104 countries and regions have been collected for the event, with works from overseas accounting for 70 percent, according to the organizing committee.

After the preliminary review, a total of 90 works have been nominated, with nearly 60 percent coming from overseas, including British film "The Father," American TV series "Your Honor," Indian film "Last Film Show" and Iranian TV series "Yadoo."

The themes of the nominated works vary from promoting peace and opposing war to preserving traditional culture and environmental protection. Works that could survive the final review will be introduced in the awards ceremony on September 20.

Zhang Yimou, an internationally renowned movie director from China, will be the president of the jury, of which at least 40 percent of the jurors are artists from overseas.

The event will attract numerous global film and television organization representatives, directors, actors and cultural experts. Among them are household names like Jackie Chan, Emmy Award winner Wang Zongxian and well-known directors from Asia, Latin America, the Middle East and other regions.