Forbidden City Secrets Unveiled in Beijing Film Fest Poster’s Hidden Design

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The poster for the 15th installment of the Beijing International Film Festival (BJIFF) carries subtle hints and meaningful suggestions, inviting you for a more in-depth examination.

The film festival, conceived by Huo Tingxiao, a high-ranking member of the China Film Association and president of the China Film Art Direction Academy who has worked on movies like “Farewell My Concubine”, “Hero”, and “House of Flying Daggers”, aims to honor “unity in diversity” and “the principle of cross-civilization learning”. As stated by the festival, it seeks to embody the core values of traditional Chinese culture within its cinematic expressions.

The poster’s design is meant to signify that film serves as a window into an astonishing universe. On our side of this kaleidoscope, we see a rotating sequence of colorful bands, which include the BJIFF windmill emblem. As you move through these bands, a brilliant “Morning Star” appears high in the dark night sky. This “Morning Star,” the second-brightest celestial body after the Sun and Moon, represents cinema as a beacon of guidance for dreamers.

The poster features an “Easter egg”-like element within its kaleidoscopic design, which draws inspiration from the intricate Ming Dynasty ceilings found in the Wanchun Pavilion of the Imperial Garden within Beijing’s Forbidden City.

The caisson is an essential component of traditional Chinese wooden structures, much like how a ceiling serves as a canvas for master artisans in ancient China, adorned with intricate carvings, paintings, and patterns. Similarly, movies can be likened to a caisson – meticulously constructed by filmmakers to convey narratives that are creatively conceived, deeply significant, and subtly emotional.

The design of this year’s festival poster symbolizes Beijing as a national cultural epicenter and an international exchange platform. It embodies its distinctive artistic allure, creating a cinematic art bridge that promotes cross-civilization learning, much like looking up through a hatchway towards the sky. Moreover, it hints at China showcasing itself, through cinema, as a forward-thinking major power, eager to converse with the world and characterized by openness and inclusivity.

Check out the full poster below.

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2025-04-07 10:54