The Historical Significance of the April Film Festival

Wang Zhiping, the main person in charge of the exhibition, wrote in the preface of Nature, Society, People-Art Photography ExhibitionNo. 1 Period: "News pictures can't replace photography art", "Photography, as an art, has its own unique language, so it's time. Just as we want to manage the economy by economic means, we should also study art with artistic language, which has established a clear curatorial concept for the exhibition. The works that participated in this exhibition were finally selected by Wang Zhiping, and actually became an independent curatorial contemporary art exhibition.

The preface to the exhibition of works in April Film Festival emphasizes that photography is an art form, which points out the academic direction for contemporary art photography in China. The works on display also represent the exploration of artistic photography by photographers in China at that time. This exhibition can be regarded as the beginning of contemporary art photography in China. You can agree with it or oppose it, but you can never get around it.

This is a pertinent evaluation of the special position of the April Film Festival in the history of photography in China. The innovation and pioneering spirit represented by "April Film Festival" and the shooting theme of "Nature, Society and People" were very scientific and professional at that time and today, which will have enlightening value and far-reaching influence on all photographers.

Many contemporary cultural workers and young photographers lack understanding of the April Film Festival. At the same time, with the rapid expansion of contemporary photography concepts and technologies in China, it is necessary to re-examine the historical heritage of the April Film Festival, further excavate and clean up the historical facts of the April Film Festival, re-pay attention to and discuss its academic value, and properly position and evaluate its position in the contemporary cultural history of China.

In the history of photography in China, the influence of April Film Festival cannot be underestimated, which directly affected the emergence and development of news documentary photography, artistic photography and modern concept photography.

Although its organizational form no longer exists, its spirit continues.