I believe that many creators have imagined that the stories they write will one day be shown on the big screen and known to more audiences.
This is certainly no easy task. Han Han, Guo Jingming, and Luo Luo are all pioneers on this path, and their development as directors has been both praised and criticized. Why is it so difficult for writers to transition to directing? Young writer Sun Rui once analyzed it this way: "Once a writer has inspiration, they can complete their work on a whim, and it's not difficult to publish it. But transitioning from writer to director requires some skill—knowing what you want to film and having a way to communicate it to others."
Great stories, filmed—the 2025 "Blue Bird" Writers and Directors Takeoff Program (hereinafter referred to as "Blue Bird") has recently launched again. From now until October 20th, "Blue Bird" is soliciting outstanding pure literature writers, online literature writers, young students from Chinese universities, and outstanding "Shanghai Style Stories" writers nationwide who aspire to become directors. The goal is to showcase the charm of Chinese literature in the new era and increase the influence of Chinese film and television culture in this era.
2025 "Blue Bird" Writer-Director Takeoff Plan
In June 2024, the "Shanghai Three-Year Action Plan for High-Quality Development of the Film Industry" was released, launching the "Bluebird" Writer-Director Takeoff Program. This is China's first support platform dedicated to helping writers transition across industries and tell compelling stories through visuals. It aims to integrate high-quality resources from the film and television industry, enabling writers to seamlessly connect their own literary IP, film and television adaptation outlines, and scripts with investors. This allows them to find top-tier professionals in the industry to serve as producers, supervisors, cinematographers, editors, art directors, and actors for their projects, ensuring film financing, project approval, filming, and release.
On September 1st of the same year, the inaugural "Blue Bird" program launched. After registration, initial screening, and in-person interviews in Beijing and Shanghai, 20 participants were selected for the special training camp. They spent 13 days studying courses in directing theory, acting coaching, screenwriting coaching, film marketing and promotion, film editing, art and set design, photography practice, film and television music, and government industry management. The training camp invited renowned mentors such as Qin Hailu, Alec Su, Sarina, Ke Wenli, Han Jinliang, Liao Ni, Tu Yiran, Wang Shuo, Tongque, and Chen Zhixi to serve as instructors, and supported by film and television companies such as Wanda Pictures, Maoyan Films, Hengdian Film and Television, Huace Films, and Tencent Video.
"'The Blue Bird' gave me an opportunity to 'look up,'" recalls Ren Li, a finalist for her work "Sharp Knife." As a student who often focused on writing novels and essays, "The Blue Bird" exposed her to writing-related fields like directing, screenwriting, photography, and art. She made many interesting friends and saw the potential for novel adaptations. Han Songluo, a finalist for his work "Late Spring Love Talk," believes that "The Blue Bird" helped him understand the multifaceted process of filmmaking and how to achieve what he desires. Even if he doesn't make films in the future, returning to novels will have changed his perspective and his world.
In June of this year, Bluebird joined forces with the Aranya Theatre Festival and Migrant Birds 300 to launch the "Flying Together" cross-disciplinary collaboration program for literature, film, and art. Four writer trainees traveled to Aranya and collaborated with numerous artists over 300 hours to shoot, edit, and post-produce four short films, ultimately securing their world premieres. Of the four works, "11.5" and "Damn Night" were awarded the "Flying Together" award after being judged by Li Shaohong, Zhang Yang, Michelle Chen, and Chen Minghao.
The inaugural "Blue Bird" program established a fully integrated platform, encompassing selection, specialized training camps, industry connections, practical work, and awards. More importantly, it demonstrated to the industry and beyond that writers can enter the film industry as directors, capable of retelling the text with depth and freedom through the lens. To date, six feature-length film projects have successfully entered incubation.
"Blue Bird" will take off again in 2025. Organizers have stated that they will continue to invite industry veterans such as directors, screenwriters, cinematographers, art directors, and editing directors to provide intensive instruction to help students refine their stories and gain practical experience. Furthermore, they will collaborate with various organizations to identify literary IPs with potential for film and television adaptations, accompany writers aspiring to become directors, and provide professional and commercial support on their journey to film adaptation.