In 2012, the Filming East Festival became an official event partner of the British Film Institute (BFI). In February, Filming East Festival and the BFI celebrated the Year of the Dragon with a selection of classic and contemporary Chinese feature films, dealing with themes of age, sport and philosophy: Golden Horse Winner “A Simple Life” (Ann Hui)., A retrospective screening of the Woman Basketball Player No. 5 (Xie Jing, 1957), and the historical epic Confucius (Mei Hu).
Such a collaboration was followed by a co-presentation of China Day at the BFI in July, showcasing the most exciting Chinese titles, including the UK premiere of “The Big Little Soldier” starring Jackie Chan and Leehom Wang that also appealed to a youth audience in London. A, martial art workshop.was also organized.
For the 2012 London Olympics, with support from Creative England, Filming East Festival hosted the branding tour exhibition in South East England. Filming East Festival showcased winning entries of the One Minute Award on BBC Big Screen in London and other UK cities during 2012 London Olympic period and throughout the year.
In August, the festival director Yixi Sun was interviewed by China Daily and the interview was published as “Chinese Filmmaker Chases Audience in the UK”.