The restrained theme music to China's first film shot on high quality digital camera "The Coldest Day" opens the annual Beijing Student Film Festival. However, the festival, with college students as the major participants, is far from restrained.

The first Beijing Student Film Festival kicked off in 1993 at Beijing Normal University, and since then the festival has featured Chinese films that for the most part were produced in the previous year. The festival awards prizes for Best Film and Best Director which are chosen by a committee of experts and by college students themselves. Unlike other Chinese film festivals, the Student Film Festival adheres to the principal that the festival should be run by college students, the films should be enjoyed by them and evaluated by them as well. Since its initiation, an estimated 1 million college students have get involved in the festival. Some of the best loved Chinese films including "Spring Subway" and "Cala, My Dog" have first appeared at the Student Festival and have then gone on to win awards at higher-profile festivals in Tokyo, Berlin and Spain.

Of the 25 films displayed at this year's festival, 8 are premiers and 3 are their director's first piece of work. Compared to previous festivals, there has been more interaction and communication between the film makers and the audience, and several directors have given talks on their works giving the viewers a better understanding of the films they see.

Of these films, Xindong Suiyue, or Emotional Days, is about the experiences of a woman soldier during the Long March of the 1930s, the now legendary journey the army led by the Communist Party undertook to establish a new base in north-west China. The film is based on the real history and actual personal experience of an old lady, and was first screened in Ruijin city, which was at one point a center for revolutionary forces and the first capital of the communist regime. At the opening ceremony of the festival, director Guang Chunlan proudly said that the movie left a deep impression on viewers in Ruijin, Jiangxi Province.

"About one week ago the film was projected in Ruijin. It was really sensational. More than 4,000 people came to see it. During the last two shows, even the aisles were crowded with people. I was among the audience then. While watching the film, I heard some people crying."

The director said that the unusual love story between a young couple in a turbulent time is very unique. She says most dramatized versions of the Long March tend to deal with the large battles or struggles for control of the party. She says she chose to focus on the lives of young people, after all it was the sacrifice of thousands of young people that made the revolution possible. Despite taking place during a time of war and great difficulty, their emotions are very similar to those of youngsters living in a peace.

"I myself was moved by the storyline at first. There are lots of films that tell about the Long March, but few are about young people's struggles and values. This made my film quite new."

The director said the film is specially made for the young, especially students. But can a film that dwells on the details of people's lives decades ago be a success with college students?

Ju Ruijing, a student from Bejing Normal University, said she was moved by the film.

"We think it is a great film and different from other mainstream films that mostly praise or publicize something. Though we still have some problems understanding the history in the film, many of us were moved to tears by the story. "

For a low-budget film with no big-name actors, the college students have welcomed it with great enthusiasm. Compared to adult filmgoers, this young audience has its own taste and is definitely the strongest supporter of low-budget domestic films.

"I believe that one doesn't have to spend a lot of money to make an interesting film. All over the world there have been many low-cost films which have won wide applause. Of course Chinese films can by no means be compared with Hollywood blockbusters. But even such films, say the Lord of the Rings, is just a temporary visual feast for us. However with the student film festival serving as a platform, we can directly communicate with Chinese film makers in the cinema. And we can get more information about Chinese film industry and think more about our own films."

At the China Film Archive near Beijing Normal University, filmgoers can enjoy two films for 5 yuan, or around 60 US cents. Even on workdays during the festival, the films are shown to a full house. Most of the audience is made up of college students. Liu Tao, who studies at Beijing Normal University's Arts Department, has watched almost all the films shown at the Film Archive.

"Generally speaking students have fewer chances to go to the cinema. We have to study most of the time. The film festival offers us an opportunity to watch films at an affordable ticket price. And when we enter the cinema, we feel like sharing something in common with the filmmakers. After watching, we can communicate face to face with the directors and actors in the cinema, and we can tell them what we think of their films. I guess the directors are aiming to satisfy their audiences, and we can provide feedback about their films."

The film festival will last through to the middle of May. Apart from domestic films, the festival also features competitions of short DV films, as well as animation and flash works made by college students.  (Gao Qian)