Chinese superstar Yao Chen returned to the Pingyao International Film Festival this year in a new role — as a juror for the Roberto Rossellini Awards competition for international films. For the star, the experience of sitting on the other side of the table offered a window into the wider state of global cinema.

“I believe not only the Chinese market is facing challenges globally. I think it is a collective predicament,” Yao says, reflecting on the current state of the industry. “If the fortress of cinema cannot withstand the shock, no one in that castle can protect itself.”

As a juror, she was struck by young filmmakers seeking fresh cinematic languages. Citing Akinola Davies’ Nigerian film “My Father’s Shadow” – which added Pingyao’s Roberto Rossellini Awards best director gong t

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