The academic seminar for the movie 'River of Life' was held in Beijing
According to China News Service: The academic seminar for the film 'River of Life' was recently held at the China Filmmakers' Home in Beijing. The seminar was jointly organized by the Film Art Center of the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles and Tianshan Film Studio. At the event, film industry experts and scholars, the film’s main creative team, and representatives from related organizations discussed the film's artistic value, core spirit, and its significance for the times.
The film 'River of Life' is based on a half-century-long water improvement project in Keping County, Xinjiang. Keping is located on the edge of the Taklamakan Desert and is an extremely arid region, with an average annual rainfall of less than 75 millimeters and an annual evaporation rate forty times that. For a long time, local people of various ethnic groups had to rely on reservoirs to store salty water to survive, and water scarcity has always been a major obstacle to the region's development.
Movie still. Photo provided by the organizer.
According to reports, the film's main creative team spent five years on and off, making multiple trips to Kepin to do on-site research. They based the story on true events of locals searching for and managing water, uncovering and bringing to life a chapter of frontier development buried deep in time. The film connects generations through the water channels, vividly showing the heroic journey of frontier builders and local people working together to fight drought and bring water for survival.
At the seminar, more than ten authoritative experts from organizations like the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles Film Art Center, the China Film Critics Society, Peking University's Center for Film and Drama Studies, and the Institute of Film and Television Arts at the China National Academy of Arts gave a thorough review of the film from multiple angles, including historical narrative construction, character development, visual aesthetic style, and the approach to national film creation.
Movie still. Photo provided by the organizer.
The experts at the conference generally believe that 'The River of Life' is a realistic work that combines both historical depth and human warmth. The film doesn’t just stick to a surface-level story about water management; instead, it reflects the era's development through individual fates. It shows the resilience of various ethnic groups living in extreme natural conditions and portrays vivid stories of different communities interacting, exchanging, and working together to build the border regions. It conveys the core spirit of 'water giving life and vigilance bringing strength.'
The film's director Yan Gaoshan, screenwriter Zhuzi, and producer Yao Guoming, along with other main creators, shared their creative journey at the meeting, saying they hope the film can help more people understand the hard years on the Gobi Desert and remember the selfless dedication and spirit of the border builders.
It is reported that the movie 'River of Life' obtained the official public screening license from the National Film Administration in July 2026 and will soon officially hit theaters nationwide.