Chinese and French TV and film professionals met at the China Culture Center in Paris on Monday to discuss Sino-French cooperation in audiovisual creation.

Jointly organized by the center and the China TV Artists Association, the event centered on AI generated content technology and traditional cultural audiovisual creation, with more than 50 professionals from the Chinese and French film and television industries, as well as academics, attending.

Wang Meng, director of the China Culture Center, said both China and France value the power of visual storytelling, describing film and television as the “l(fā)ight cavalry” in cultural exchange. He noted that, in the digital era, video art is vital for preserving cultural heritage and promoting its sustainable development.

Dai Qing, director of the China TV Artists Association and professor of drama and film at the Communication University of China, described the short film series Every Treasure Tells a Story, created by China Media Group, and original shorts made by teachers and students from her university as attempts to present a French audience with an authentic, vibrant and multidimensional view of China.

Nicolas Deschamps, founder and president of the French Association of Co-Producers, lauded the achievements of Sino-French television collaboration. Drawing on his extensive experience in working with partners across China, Deschamps highlighted productions such as the recently released Moon le Panda and the 2023 award-winning documentary Story of a Golden Monkey King in Qinling Mountains of China, both of which have aired in France. He argued that these productions have a profound impact beyond China and France.

Three Chinese short films promoted at the event attracted rave reviews from the audience. The five-minute Every Treasure Tells a Story: Lacquered Food Tray with Civet Cat Design focuses on Han Dynasty aesthetics through stunning 4K macro photography and motion comic techniques.

To My Dearest Self, directed by Tong Hua, a faculty member at the Communication University of China, is an AI-generated animation tracing a woman’s journey of self-discovery. It won top prize at the Venice AI Short Film Festival for “interpreting humanity’s tender emotions through machine language”.

Dave Decides to Jump into the Sea, a surreal and futuristic work by Cheng Kuan, a student at the same university, delves into the anxieties of modern urban life.

The event culminated with a lively panel discussion on how video art can help preserve cultural heritage and encourage its sustainable development, as well the potential for artificial intelligence to become a medium for promoting cultural empathy.

Panelists agreed that the short film screenings and cross-cultural dialogue enabled creators from both countries to gain new inspiration and avenues for cooperation.

Yang Runyu contributed to this story.