The Beijing Film Academy's 18th International Student Film and Video Festival kicked off Oct 20 at the academy.

The organizing committee collected 2,045 works from 69 countries and regions, including 891 from Chinese student directors and 1,154 from their foreign counterparts. After an initial selection, 82 were chosen to be shown and will compete for 10 awards during the festival.

At the opening ceremony, six films were shown to the audience, including My Planet, Red Summer, The Nanny, and Noises from the Safe. The young directors also appeared to exchange ideas with the audience.

According to Sun Lijun, deputy headmaster at the Beijing Film Academy, "The Beijing Film Academy has supported and will continue to support the International Student Film and Video Festival, as well as encourage students to create works and provide the platform for student directors to communicate with each other."

The organizing committee has also invited the Polish National Film, Television and Theatre School in Lodz and National Film School of Denmark to show their students' work.