'Vision Youth Awards' 2018: Building a better platform for young filmmakers

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The Vision Youth Awards of 2018 kicked off at the Communication University of China Friday night, recognizing some of the best work made by young filmmakers from all over the world. Now in its 16th edition, the event also aims to build a professional and open communication PLATFORM for the young directors.

The Best Work of the Year went to Dave Zhang, a student from USC School of Cinematic Arts. He took the top prize with his science-fiction film "Cupcake".

12 awards were handed out during the opening ceremony of the event and 124 films made by college students from around the globe were selected to compete for the awards.

The judging panel included famous New Zealand TV and film director Martin Campbell and experts from the Communication University of China.

ZHONG DANIAN, VICE PRESIDENT PHOENIX SATELLITE TV AND DOCTORAL SUPERVISOR OF THE CUC "The most salient features of this year's works are they reflect the observation of young filmmakers on current society and focus on the stories happening around them. And we can sense a more positive attitude towards society from their work when compared with the work of adults."

Two young high school student directors from Beijing National Day school took home this year's special award- the Best Middle School and High School Students' Documentary.

According to the organizer, the special award is set to encourage young teenagers to make films on their own and the event itself also serves as a good platform for young people who want to step into the Video and Film Industry in the future.

ZHONG DANIAN, VICE PRESIDENT PHOENIX SATELLITE TV AND DOCTORAL SUPERVISOR OF THE CUC "We want to build a platform for teenagers to present what they see and what they feel about the world through films. And we hope this platform can also provide opportunities for them to step into the film industry."

The "Vision Youth Awards" made its debut in 2003, when SARS, a deadly respiratory disease, attacked Beijing. Students at the Communication University of China recorded glimpses of the era in films, and have held the awards for 16 consecutive years. Qijie, CGTN.