BEIJING--(BUSINESS WIRE)--On the evening of May 14, 2026 (French time), the 2026 Cannes Film Festival \u201cChina Night\u201d & Golden Coast Gala was successfully held at Plage des Palmes, the official beach of the Cannes March\u00e9 du Film. As an officially sanctioned event of the Cannes March\u00e9 du Film, this forum is led and organized by Beijing Wing Sight Culture and Media Co., Ltd. This year\u2019s edition themed \u201cWisdom Illuminates the East \u00b7 The Future Has Arrived\u201d gathered over a thousand guests, including leading figures in the Chinese and French film industries, cultural artists, and international partners, for a grand international gala blending film, culture, art, and technology. For the first time, the event featured \u201ctechnology + art\u201d as its dual highlights, presenting a spectacular international celebration of film, culture, and cutting-edge innovation.<\/p>
\nTechnology Lights Up the Red Carpet, Eastern Aesthetic Sets the Tone<\/b><\/p>
\nThis year\u2019s China Night opened with a new form of cross-border integration at the welcome ceremony. The Magic Lab intelligent robot and Jia Yuan, Chair of the Organizing Committee, greeted guests together in a \u201chuman\u2013robot welcome\u201d\u2014a standout highlight.<\/p>
\nDistinguished attendees included He Youlin, Consul General of the People\u2019s Republic of China in Marseille; Jiao Hongfen, Chair of the China Film Producer\u2019s Association; Luis Alberto Scalella, President of the International Federation of Film Producers Associations; Guillaume Esmiol, Director of the Cannes March\u00e9 du Film; Thomas de Pariente, Deputy Mayor of Cannes; as well as Jiao Xiongping, Chief Advisor of China Night, and Jiang Ping, Artistic Director of China Night, alongside other Chinese and French political and industry representatives.<\/p>
\nBreaking from the traditional cocktail format, the opening featured a suona performance of excerpts from Black Myth: Wukong.<\/i> The powerful, resonant tones of this iconic Chinese folk instrument instantly immersed guests in the narrative of China\u2019s beloved myth. With its penetrating Eastern aesthetic melody, the performance set the tone for the evening: \u201cTradition Resonates with Modernity.\u201d<\/p>
\nSpeeches by Chinese and French Guests: Building Bridges for Cultural Outreach<\/b><\/p>
\nKey Chinese and French figures took the stage in turn, sharing diverse perspectives on China Night\u2019s cultural mission and industry value.<\/p>
\nGuillaume Esmiol, Director of the Cannes March\u00e9 du Film, reflected on long-standing cooperation with the Chinese film industry, emphasized China Night\u2019s importance as an official March\u00e9 du Film event, and stated that Cannes will remain a bridge for Chinese cinema to the world.<\/p>
\nHe Youlin, Consul General of the People\u2019s Republic of China in Marseille, praised the deep artistic ties between Chinese and French cinema, and expressed hope that more Chinese stories will reach French audiences.<\/p>
\nThomas de Pariente, Deputy Mayor of Cannes, welcomed China Night to Cannes and expressed his wish for it to become a long-term brand for bilateral cultural exchange.<\/p>
\nLuis Alberto Scalella, President of the International Federation of Film Producers Associations, affirmed China\u2019s growing importance in the global film industry from an international producer\u2019s perspective.<\/p>
\nJiao Hongfen, Vice President of the International Federation of Film Producers Associations & Chairman of China Film Producers\u2019 Association, noted that the high-quality development of China\u2019s film industry is energizing the global market, and that China Night serves as a vital window for cultural outreach.<\/p>
\nJia Yuan, Chair of the China Night Organizing Committee, warmly welcomed all guests and outlined the long-term vision: \u201cChina Night is not merely a cocktail party or an event\u2014it is a sustained platform for exchange and co-creation. We hope it becomes a light, illuminating the path of Chinese stories to the world.\u201d<\/p>
\nJiao Xiongping, Renowned Producer, Film Scholar & Chief Advisor of China Night, together with Jiang Ping, Artistic Director of China Night, expressed their hope that China Night will serve as a bridge for artistic exchange between China and the world, and encouraged young Chinese artists to uphold cultural confidence and present works imbued with Eastern wisdom and contemporary vitality to the global stage.<\/p>
\nStars Shine Bright: Projecting China\u2019s Multifaceted Image<\/b><\/p>
\nThe evening featured the official presentation of China Night\u2019s three Global Ambassadors: Li Shaohong (Global Image Ambassador), Liu Ye (Global Outreach Ambassador), and Lay Zhang (Global communication Ambassador). Jiao Hongfen, Jia Yuan, and Beno\u00eet Ginisty, President of the International Federation of Film Producers Associations, presented honorary appointment letters to the three ambassadors, who pledged to build bridges through cinema and show the world China\u2019s diverse beauty.<\/p>
\nLi Shaohong, Global Image Ambassador, expressed her great honor and commitment to continuing to convey the diversity of Chinese cinema from a director\u2019s perspective.<\/p>
\nLiu Ye, Global Outreach Ambassador, shared his personal connection to the Cannes Film Festival. As part of a Sino-French family, he emphasized that cultural differences should not divide but bring people closer. He noted that a Chinese story touches French audiences not only through translation but through authentic emotion at its core. He believes that as more Chinese films reach global audiences, the world will see a true, three-dimensional, and warm China.<\/p>
\nLay Zhang, Global Communication Ambassador, described film as a universal language that transcends distance and connects hearts. He pledged to use this platform to show the world a real, vivid, and dynamic China, as well as the cultural responsibility of Chinese youth.<\/p>
\nInaugural Golden Coast Honors: Saluting Pioneers of Cultural Outreach<\/b><\/p>
\nA highlight of the evening was the Inaugural Golden Coast Honors, launched to celebrate outstanding contributions to China\u2019s cultural outreach. The honors aim to \u201chonor original aspirations with glory, empower cultural outreach with grandeur\u201d, recognizing exceptional film works, national brands, and intangible cultural heritage inheritors in the field of global cultural exchange.<\/p>
\nJiao Hongfen, Jiao Xiongping, Li Shaohong, Jiang Ping presented the honor to four outstanding Chinese productions: The Concierge, Cold War 1994, My Grandparents, Beyond the Window Lies the Blue Planet.<\/i><\/p>
\nJiang Ping presented the honor to Magic Lab for breakthroughs in high-tech global outreach.<\/p>
\nDirector Li Shaohong presented the honor to Junpei Jewelry.<\/p>
\nJia Yuan presented the honor to DYESOO (Duoyanshou).<\/p>
\nMike (Wu Yi Ge), Asia-Pacific Ambassador for Film and Cultural Exchange of China Night, presented the honor to Bai Xiao T.<\/p>
\nYuan Shanshan, Fashion Ambassador of China Night, presented the honor to Golden Tree.<\/p>
\nLay Zhang, Global Communication Ambassador of China Night, presented the honor to Zhou Liwei (paper-cutting) and Zhou Jin (horse-face skirt craftsmanship), inheritors of China\u2019s intangible cultural heritage.<\/p>
\nLiu Ye, Global Outreach Ambassador of China Night, presented the honor to: Chang Sisi, renowned Chinese coloratura soprano and Ambassador for ethnic culture promotion of China Night; Wang Xiaowei, renowned double keyboard (Electronic Pipe Organ) performer and Bokui, the celebrated painter.<\/p>
\nCinema as a Bridge, Mutual Appreciation of Civilizations<\/b><\/p>
\nThe evening culminated in a stunning audiovisual feast of East\u2013West exchange: Anne Carr\u00e8re, acclaimed French singer and heir to Edith Piaf\u2019s legacy, performed the French classic Je Ne Regrette Rien<\/i>, echoing China Night\u2019s commitment to showcasing Chinese culture globally. Wang Xiaowei delivered a dual-keyboard + AI visual performance of Hero<\/i>, blending technology and music to honor iconic cinematic figures. Chang Sisi performed Why Are the Flowers So Red<\/i> in her signature coloratura style, merging Eastern melody with Western technique. Chen Yixuan, UNESCO International Peace Artist and guzheng performer, together with Shen Xiaolin, young traditional music inheritor, performed classic Chinese melodies on the guzheng.<\/p>
\nDuring the cultural painting donation ceremony, Bokui, Sino-French Cultural Art Ambassador and master of freehand flower-and-bird painting, presented his original Chinese ink painting\u2014featuring the rooster, beloved by both Chinese and French people\u2014to representatives of the Cannes March\u00e9 du Film and the China Night Organizing Committee, embodying Eastern aesthetics.<\/p>
\nFrom empowering Chinese filmmakers to shine globally, supporting Chinese films to sail overseas, and enabling national brands to go global, to promoting intangible cultural heritage to the world\u2014China Night has always served as a dynamic platform for dialogue between China and the world.<\/p>
\nOn the stage of the 79th Cannes Film Festival, this year\u2019s China Night marks a new chapter for Chinese cultural outreach with greater maturity and vision. Looking ahead, China Night will continue to unite filmmakers, cultural inheritors, and innovators, driving the broader international dissemination of Chinese stories and enabling the world to deeply appreciate China\u2019s beauty.<\/p>
\nWisdom Illuminates the East \u00b7 The Future Has Arrived. China Night, see you next year!<\/p>