ESRA had the honour of welcoming Professor Sun Lijun, Dean of the School of Animation at the Beijing Film Academy (BFA) and one of the most influential figures in the teaching of animated film in China, during his official visit to France aimed at developing international cooperation between leading film schools.
Following a series of meetings organised during the Annecy International Animation Film Festival, MIFA and at Gobelins Paris – a long-standing partner of the Beijing Film Academy – Professor Sun Lijun visited ESRA to further strengthen ties between the two institutions and explore new avenues for academic cooperation.
A global leader in animation education
Professor Sun Lijun is one of the most recognised figures in animation education in China. As Dean of the School of Animation at the Beijing Film Academy and Director of the China Animation Institute, he has played a major role for over twenty years in the development of training, research and creative work in animation at Asia’s most prestigious film school.
A director, artist, researcher and author of numerous reference works on Chinese animation, he has helped train several generations of directors and animators. His work and films have been screened at numerous international festivals, making him one of the leading ambassadors
A director, artist, researcher and author of numerous reference works on Chinese animation, he has helped to train several generations of directors and animators. His work and films have been screened at numerous international festivals, making him one of the leading ambassadors for Chinese animation on the world stage.
ESRA presents its educational model and international ambitions
During his visit, Professor Sun Lijun was shown around ESRA’s facilities, including its film sets, post-production studios, Dolby Atmos cinema and state-of-the-art professional equipment.
ESRA’s teams presented him with an educational model based on learning through production, the completion of numerous projects throughout the course, and ongoing collaboration with professionals from the audiovisual industry. Discussions also covered developments in film-related professions, the integration of new technologies, and the challenges posed by artificial intelligence in audiovisual creation.
This meeting also provided an opportunity to present ESRA’s international strategy, which is currently developing academic partnerships across several continents with the sector’s leading institutions.
A rapidly expanding partnership between ESRA and the Beijing Film Academy
Professor Sun Lijun’s visit forms part of efforts to strengthen relations between ESRA and the Beijing Film Academy, two institutions that are developing ever closer cooperation in the areas of training, research and international exchanges.
Among the projects already underway is the teacher training programme for the Beijing Film Academy, which will welcome a delegation of BFA lecturers to Paris in autumn 2026 for a course focusing on new teaching approaches, cutting-edge audiovisual technologies and artificial intelligence applied to cinema.
This visit also comes just a few days after the launch in Beijing of a groundbreaking documentary filmmaking programme run jointly by ESRA and the Communication University of China (CUC), illustrating the growing strength of the academic collaborations the school has developed with leading Chinese universities.
By strengthening its ties with the Beijing Film Academy, ESRA is reaffirming its ambition to build lasting partnerships with leading institutions of higher education in film and to contribute to the development of a new generation of creators operating in a resolutely international environment.
From left to right :
Nicolas Bary, Film Director (ESRA, Class of 2001), Mr. Zhang Chunjing, Professor at BFA, Max Azoulay, Founder of ESRA, Mr. Sun Lijun, Dean of BFA, Benjamin Azoulay, Vice President of ESRA, Ying Liu, ESRA Hebei Coordinator