CHENGDU, China, Sept. 15, 2023 /Xinhua-AsiaNet/--

On September 19 and 20, 2023, the 1st Golden Panda Awards will be hosted in Chengdu of Sichuan Province. Sponsored by the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles and the People's Government of Sichuan Province, the Golden Panda Awards are presented once every two years to outstanding entries from around the globe, including works in film, TV drama, documentary and animation. The Awards are like the Chinese combination of the Academy Awards and Emmy Awards.
 
The process starts with the solicitation of entries conducted by the organizing committee via both public solicitation and targeted invitations. This year, some 7,024 pieces from 104 countries and regions have been submitted, of which 4,927 are coming from outside of China, accounting for 70% of total.
 
According to Ren Zhonglun, representative of the preliminary jury of the 1st Golden Panda Awards, the initial round of evaluation has ended with the nomination of 90 entries, including 29 films, 26 TV dramas, 20 documentaries and 15 animations. The president of the jury is renowned Chinese director Zhang Yimou, while the presidents of the juries of the film category, TV drama category, documentary category and animation category are respectively acclaimed director Stanley Tong of China Hong Kong, celebrated Chinese director Zheng Xiaolong, Academy Award- and Emmy Award-winner director Malcolm Clarke, and well-known animation master Georges Schwizgebel.
 
The hotly anticipated Golden Panda Awards, to be hosted on September 20, will announce the results.
 
The mascot of the Golden Panda Awards is an adorable and lively giant panda, while the design of the trophy was inspired by bamboo, the food of choice of the giant panda. As a rare species that have lived on the Earth for at least eight million years, the giant panda is the "national treasure" of China and an ambassador for peace and friendship. As the hometown of the giant pandas, Sichuan is the permanent host of the Golden Panda Awards.
 
Other than the main ceremony, the 1st Golden Panda Awards will also consist of numerous activities such as Golden Panda International Cultural Forum, "Let's Watch Movies Together" (Film Screening), "Panda Takes You to Look Around the World" (Film and Television Exhibition), among others. At present, all of the above activities are already taking place in Chengdu.
 
China has a population of over 1.4 billion, making it one of the largest markets for the consumption of culture and art products and creations. According to data from the China Film Administration, cinemas across the country raked in 20.6 billion Chinese yuan (approximately USD2.8 billion) during the summer break span (June 1 to August 31), setting a new box office record.
 
There is no doubt such a robust market represents a fantastic platform conducive to the exchanges and mutual appreciation between the civilizations of the world. In the words of deputy director Zhang Hong of the Golden Panda Awards organizing committee: "We hope to host an international celebration that deepens cultural exchanges and promotes mutual appreciations between civilizations."  

Source: The People's Government of Sichuan Province

--BERNAMA