On April 29, 2026, Xiao Zhan flew from QingDao to BeiJing to attend The 33rd College Student Film Festival《第33届大学生电影节》filming on same day.
The festival is considered one of the biggest film festivals in China, and its jury is diverse, consisting of university students, teachers and film reviewers in Beijing. The event aired on May 3, 2026.
The event was held at BeiJing Normal University《北师大学》. The venue decor is all set!
Found Xiao Zhan’s seat! 😆
Xiao Zhan’s assigned seat was between senior actress Ni Ping倪萍 on his left and Chinese film art director and producer Huo Tingxiao霍廷霄 on his right. Professor Huo is also a doctoral supervisor at the Beijing Film Academy, vice chairman of the China Film Association, and president of the China Film Art Direction Association.
Further to the right was director Xie Fei谢飞, who was seen greeting and interacting with Xiao Zhan during the event.
Some observers commented that those seated at the occasion were not merely figures from the entertainment industry, but representatives of the artistic world itself — a gathering of distinguished veterans and respected masters of their craft. They were true heavyweights, each with an impressive repertoire of acclaimed works to their name. Truly remarkable.
While waiting to enter the venue, Xiao Zhan stood quietly listening as senior actors chatted with director Kong Sheng 孔笙. Ni Ping 倪萍 could be heard praising Xiao Zhan’s performance in GeZhi Town, while film critic and senior actor Fan Ming 范明 also gave him a thumbs-up in approval.
Later, teacher Fan Ming 范明 shared his first impression of Xiao Zhan during an interview. You can check it out in the clip here — select CC for English subtitles.
Here is another backstage clip capturing the interactions before everyone walked the red carpet and took their seats for the event.
Xiao Zhan walked the red carpet with director Kong Sheng 孔笙 and screenwriter Lan XiaoLong 兰晓龙. You can hear people calling “Teacher Xiao Zhan! Teacher Xiao Zhan! Wait! Over here!” 😄After photos and a brief chat with the hosts, all guests signed their signature on plexi glass. It’s too bad the official video never showed their segment. So we have fan cams and a photo shared by one of the hosts of Xiao Zhan’s signing. Enjoy! 😄
The awards given out at the 33rd College Student Film Festival is said to be “an honor in its purest form.” The Dean of the School of Arts and Media, BeiJing Normal University, Hu ZhiFeng, explained it best:
“Our panel of judges disregards capital and background, nor do they place much weight on a creator’s credentials. The key is whether university students genuinely recognize and like it from the bottom of their hearts.”
~ Hu ZhiFeng, Dean of the School of Arts and Media, BeiJing Normal University
Finally, it’s time to announce “Most Popular Actor of the Year Among University Students.” The announcers for this award was teacher Ni Ping 倪萍, and Chinese-language film and television screenwriter and director, Huo JianQi 霍建起. I love how Xiao Zhan was introduced here:
“I’ll put it this way — to the audience who like him. You really should go watch this movie. This movie will definitely overturn your expectations and make you like him even more than you imagined. The man with the crew cut who spoke fluent Nanjing dialect. That kind of handsomeness with intelligence shining through it.This performance this time truly shocked me, an old comrad.”
~ Ni Ping, senior actress
Watching Xiao Zhan take it all in was delightful as well. He seemed genuinely touched and deeply grateful to be honored with this award — you could clearly see the emotions playing across his face and how happy he was to receive such affirmation and recognition.
Teacher Huo Tingxiao 霍廷霄 could also be seen leaning over to congratulate Xiao Zhan during the announcement.
Xiao Zhan is the first actor born in the 1990s to win major awards in both film and television within the same year. Just a month earlier, he received the Outstanding Quality Star / SMG Best Actor Award for Legend of Zang Hai.
Watching Xiao Zhan standing on stage, he radiated confidence and joy as he shook hands with senior actor Wang Deshun 王德顺, who presented him with the award.
恭喜肖战获得年度最受大学生欢迎男演员！Congratulations to Xiao Zhan for winning “Most Popular Actor of the Year Among University Students” for his portrayal of Mo DeXian in GeZhi Town! We are so proud of you!!!!
I have saved Xiao Zhan’s acceptance speech under Official Clips below. Enjoy!
Here are close ups of the milestone moment. I’m so proud of Xiao Zhan!🥳
Upon leaving the stage, Xiao Zhan was seen walking alongside teacher Ni Ping 倪萍. It was heartwarming to hear her gently remind his team to ensure he avoids any risky actions that could lead to injury, and to take good care of his safety. Xiao Zhan must have mentioned some of the stunts he performs himself in his projects — hahaha.
Xiao Zhan was also congratulated by teacher Fan Ming 范明 backstage after his win.
After the event, Xiao Zhan flew back to Qing Dao the very next day to continue filming “The Infinite 10 Days”. And here I end my recap! Let’s enjoy Xiao Zhan’s shining moment! Check out the videos below!
Awards Ceremony (Xiao Zhan Cut)
Official Clips
Promo
Interview
Fan Cam
Gallery
Xiao Zhan in GUCCI
