Chen Kaige

When the FIRST International Film Festival unveiled its jury roster, the inclusion of 22-year-old Yi Yangqianxi (易烊千玺) sent ripples through China’s film industry. His transition from teen idol to legitimate cinematic voice culminates in this pivotal role—a testament to nine years of deliberate reinvention. As the youngest juror alongside auteurs like Chen Kaige (陈凯歌) and Zhou Xun (周迅), Yi now occupies a space reserved for those who speak film’s nuanced language. Where Artistry Overrides Algorithms Founded in 2006, the FIRST Youth Film Festival thrives as China’s counterbalance to commercial cinema. It rejects box-office metrics and celebrity economics, instead spotlighting raw, auteur-driven narratives. Previous jurors—from arthouse pioneer Wang Xiaoshuai (王小帅) to the late Tibetan director Pema Tseden—shared a common thread: uncompromising dedication to cinematic craft. Yi’s selection, therefore, defies convention. Festival organizers emphasized his “acute narrative intuition and mastery of visual grammar,” referencing his ability to dissect scripts beyond surface-level performance. His role signals FIRST’s commitment to judging films through an artistic lens, untouched by industry politics or fleeting trends. The festival’s statement further noted Yi’s “transformative physicality” across roles—a skill honed through meticulous character immersion. This aligns with FIRST’s mission to champion filmmakers who prioritize substance over spectacle. Where mainstream…