Ningbo to host 2026 Yangtze River Delta International Youth Film Week

The 2026 Yangtze River Delta International Youth Film Week will take place in Ningbo, Zhejiang province, from Oct 17 to 23.

Co-hosted by China Media Group and the Zhejiang Provincial People's Government, the event will feature dozens of activities, including opening and closing ceremonies, film project pitching sessions, screenings, forums on emerging filmmakers, film technology showcases and cultural events.

Formerly the Zhejiang International Youth Film Week, the event officially chose Ningbo as its host city in April this year. The launch ceremony welcomed guests including Cairo International Film Festival President Hussein Fahmy and Chinese actress Ma Li, highlighting the festival's vision of connecting the future of cinema with young creative talent.

Rooted in Zhejiang and aligned with the Yangtze River Delta integration strategy, the film week is intended to serve as a comprehensive platform for emerging filmmakers, project incubation, industry collaboration, film consumption and international cultural exchange.

A key highlight is the 2026 Youth Film Venture Program, which is already accepting applications. The program will select one "Annual Project", which may receive up to 500,000 yuan (about $73,880) in funding. Leveraging Zhejiang's strengths in the integration of culture and technology, the program also aims to become China's first youth film incubation platform to use AI-generated sample previews to support project development and production.