The launch ceremony of the Jackie Chan Project A · Global Youth Visual Action was held on Aug 11 in Harbin, Heilongjiang province, as part of the 2026 Jackie Chan International Action Film Week.
Initiated by Jackie Chan, Project A has focused on discovering, supporting and nurturing young Chinese-language filmmakers. Since its launch in 2016, the program has placed young creators in real-world projects and film industry settings, giving them opportunities to gain hands-on experience.
As a new component of Project A's talent development program, the Global Youth Visual Action will take young Chinese-language filmmakers into film industries in different countries and regions. They will learn about local film cultures, creative approaches and industry practices while engaging in face-to-face exchanges with film institutions, industry professionals and young filmmakers.
At the launch ceremony, Chan drew on his own experience of starting out at the grassroots level of film production and encouraged young filmmakers to return to "the real" amid a rapidly changing cinematic landscape. He said many creative experiences cannot simply be imagined while sitting in a room, but are discovered in everyday life and developed through hands-on work.
Chan offered four pieces of advice to young filmmakers: "Listen for real, and hear how real people speak; see for real, and observe how real life unfolds; feel for real, and don't replace your own emotions with concepts; act for real, and don't let your ideas remain forever on a plan."
Speaking about the significance of the global initiative, Chan said that in an era of globalization, film can transcend language and cultural barriers, allowing people from different countries to see and understand one another.
Young filmmakers, he said, should remain rooted in their own lives while learning how films are created and produced around the world and how filmmakers communicate with audiences.
Going forward, Project A will continue to encourage young Chinese-language filmmakers to engage with real life, real film sets and a wider world.
