On April 17th, the 16th Beijing International Film Festival's "China Virtual Reality Film Industry Development Forum," guided by the Film Bureau of the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee and hosted by the Beijing International Film Festival Organizing Committee and organized by the China Film Archive, was held in Beijing. The "Borderless ∞ Immersive Unit" of this year's Beijing Film Festival also opened simultaneously.
Huang Zhi, Director of the Technology Department of the Film Bureau of the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee; Gong Bo, Party Secretary and Director of the China Film Research Institute (Film Technology Quality Inspection Institute of the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee); Lin Siwei, Deputy Director of the China Film Archive and Deputy Director of the China Film Art Research Center; and Hu Xiding, General Manager and Deputy Party Secretary of Jiangsu Film Group Co., Ltd., attended the event.
Group Photo of Forum Guests
At the forum, representatives from film authorities and various links in the virtual reality film industry chain gathered together. In the keynote speeches, guests shared their practical experiences in the exploration, content creation, technology development, and academic research of the virtual reality film industry. In two roundtable discussions, academic and industry guests discussed the cross-media narrative and the development of the entire industry chain of virtual reality films, offering suggestions for the high-quality development of virtual reality films.
Over 220 Virtual Reality Films Submitted for Filing
Four Dimensions to Boost Future Development
In March 2025, the National Film Administration issued the "Notice on Promoting the Orderly Development of Virtual Reality Films," empowering virtual reality technology with a mature film market system and industrial policies. In the year since the "Notice" was issued, under policy guidance and institutional guarantees, the number of films has increased significantly, technological achievements have emerged continuously, industry standards have been gradually improved, and virtual reality films have been implemented in various screening venues. As of April 17, over 220 virtual reality films nationwide have submitted for filing, 145 filing receipts have been issued, and 39 works have obtained the film's production license.
"Although we have already taken the lead in terms of industrial policies and market enthusiasm, we still have a long way to go in terms of creative methodologies and industrial standards," Huang Zhi said. He explained that in the future, efforts will be focused on four dimensions: strengthening policy guidance and improving the industry support and standardized management system; supporting the creation of high-quality works, exploring creative methods, and producing excellent works that are both profound in thought and technically sophisticated; accelerating the development of standards, improving the entire chain of technical standardization systems, and promoting independent control over key core technologies; and optimizing the market ecosystem, standardizing the operation and management of screening venues, and promoting the formation of a unified, open, competitive, and orderly market system. "This will allow virtual reality films to better reach the public, serve the masses, and truly become a new growth point and engine for the high-quality development of the film industry in the new era," he said.
In recent years, Henan Radio and Television has pioneered and successfully piloted virtual reality (VR) films. At the forum, Wang Gang, Director of the Media Convergence R&D Department of Henan Radio and Television and Chairman of Elephant Yuan Digital Technology Co., Ltd., suggested that VR films explore three aspects: concept, creation, and duration. Conceptually, it's crucial to recognize that VR films are essentially films, not just technical gimmicks, but also stories, characters, and emotions. Creatively, a new spatial narrative grammar needs to be constructed, shifting from linear to spatial narrative, using light and sound to naturally guide the audience. Regarding duration, limited by head-mounted displays, a reasonable length for VR films is between 20 and 40 minutes, requiring efficient spatial narrative techniques to convey emotions and tell the story within a short timeframe.
To date, the Yaozai XR Cinema platform has covered over 200 service locations and offered over 100 content options. Li Yuanyuan, co-founder and general manager of Yaozai Digital Technology (Shanghai) Co., Ltd., shared nearly four years of experience in the virtual reality field and introduced several upcoming industry support programs. These include the AI+ program, which spans production and distribution and boasts six core AI capabilities that can be scaled up; the "Stay-at-Home Enhancement" program, which significantly improves the audience experience; the XR Cinema Traffic Support Program, which focuses on increasing offline store traffic; and the XR Media Monetization Program, which explores the advertising value of XR films to achieve revenue generation. Li Yuanyuan stated that the prosperity of content drives the prosperity of the platform, and the prosperity of the platform drives the high-quality development of the industry. "We hope to work together with all our peers to promote the development of the XR film industry."
Zhang Yafen, a member of the Party Committee and Deputy General Manager of Henan Culture and Film Group, and General Manager of Oscar Cinema Development Center, shared the practical experience of Henan Film and Television Production Group in its "culture + technology" dual-drive approach, as well as its "five-in-one" approach integrating production, cinemas, distribution chains, systems, and ecosystem. She stated that in the future, she hopes to break down the isolated production model of individual companies by continuously expanding the "XR film industry ecosystem community," integrating resources across the virtual reality film chain to achieve collaborative efforts and mutual benefit.
Li Xun, a researcher at the China Film Art Research Center (China Film Archive), shared his observations on the development of international film festivals and virtual reality films. He noted that international festivals such as the Cannes Film Festival and the Venice Film Festival have consistently focused on virtual reality films, from screening sections to competition sections. He also expressed his thoughts on the creative concepts of virtual reality films, believing that the creation of virtual reality works should not only emphasize narrative but also consider the relationship between art and entertainment, and value novel audiovisual effects and technological upgrades.
Technology and craftsmanship complement each other
Virtual reality technology is deeply integrated into the film industry
Cross-media storytelling was one of the focal points of this forum. Gao Jieyu, Deputy General Manager of Junkan Culture; Xu Zhi, Founder of Qinke Media; Zhou Wen, Director of the Digital Media Department of the School of Arts and Media at Beijing Normal University; and Zuo Ying, Deputy Director of the Technology Department of the China Film Archive, shared their insights on the relationship between XR technology and film, IP adaptation, cross-media challenges and opportunities, new teaching initiatives, and the restoration of classic films. Chen Jun, Dean of the School of Intelligent Imaging Engineering at Beijing Film Academy, moderated the discussion.
Gao Jieyu shared her creative experience with *The Rise of the Great Sage: The Journey of Ten Thousand Demons*, an XR work adapted into the animated film of the same name. She stated that XR films and traditional films have a symbiotic and complementary relationship; films can provide narrative support for XR, while XR can generate buzz and create IP value for films. "XR films based on traditional films can help promote the film before its release and, after release, can serve as derivative products, achieving long-term derivative value."
Xu Zhi, from Qinke Media, shared his experience adapting literary IPs into *The Devourer*, adapted from Liu Cixin's novel of the same name. He believes that adapting literary IPs into VR works should avoid homogenization, using NPC activities to break away from the monotony of guided tours, and utilizing interaction and visual storytelling. "VR technology has brought about a huge change in storytelling methods. Creators should leverage the advantages of technology to engage the audience through activities and visuals, allowing them to experience the story immersively."
"Virtual reality is probably the latest media form we can see now," said Zhou Wen. She stated that virtual reality has enabled films to move from story telling to story living. However, she also believes that, considering the current technological limitations, it's crucial to clarify the media's attributes and exercise restraint in its use. Zhou Wen stated that VR and AI courses have been incorporated into university curricula, guiding students to explore the possibilities of media using artistic thinking and encouraging them to try cutting-edge fields.
Zuo Ying's speech focused on the restoration of classic films. He frankly stated that restoring classic films is not for the sake of restoration itself, but rather "to disseminate classics, spread culture, and present excellent content to a wider audience." Zuo Ying believes that there is no conflict between new technologies and traditional culture, but rather they complement each other. Regarding the integration of classic film restoration with new technologies such as VR, efforts should be made in interaction, engagement, and content adaptation, focusing on enhancing technology in terms of spatiality and interactivity to attract younger audiences.
Introducing Industry Standards and Establishing a Division of Labor System
"Let professionals do professional things" becomes the industry's sentiment
The synergy of the entire "production-distribution-release" industry chain also received key attention at the forum. Fan Fan, founder of Vmo Technology and VR director; Hua Xiaofeng, president of HTC China; Liu Chen, deputy general manager of Beijing 798 Culture Technology Co., Ltd.; Tang Yicheng, founder of Boxin Universe; and Wang Yanfeng, senior partner of Weiling Times, focused on discussing the current development status of the VR film industry in production, distribution, and standards. Huangfu Yichuan, researcher at the China Film Art Research Center (China Film Archive), moderated the discussion.
In her speech, Hua Xiaofeng frankly emphasized the importance of publicity and distribution operations. She believes the industry currently suffers from problems such as individuals blindly transitioning to new roles and a lack of professional promotion. "We have production and development teams, and we meticulously refine our content. We hope there are professional companies in the industry chain that can help us with distribution and implementation in one step."
Fan Fan, who has created several virtual reality films, believes that virtual reality film content creation should focus on VR space and interactive attributes, emphasizing commercial viability and producing more genre-specific and differentiated works. He also stated that Chinese creators are currently at the forefront of the virtual reality film industry, but more partners are needed to fill the gaps in the upstream and downstream links and form a division of labor system.
Tang Yicheng focused on the construction of industry standards. In his view, the virtual reality film industry has developed rapidly in the past year, but overall, the industry is still in its early stages of development. Fragmented ecosystems and differences in equipment and venues are affecting the dissemination and distribution of content. He expressed his hope that the industry can quickly form a division of labor system, professionally collaborating on a unified standard basis, allowing professionals to do professional work.
Liu Chen is confident about the future development of virtual reality films. She suggests gradually guiding audiences to develop consumption habits by transforming traditional cinemas, increasing venue usage, setting up virtual screenings, and leveraging private domain maintenance.
Wang Yanfeng urged creators to focus on the richness of content and emotional resonance, creating more high-quality works with innovative narrative techniques. He emphasized the importance of content, stating, "Without content as a foundation, nothing else matters."
Author: Ji Zhengpeng Published: August 20, 2026
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