AFCT launches the new academic year with a series of key events

In September 2025, the Academy of Film and Creative Technology (AFCT) at Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University (XJTLU) marked the start of the new academic year with a series of significant events. From the SIP campus to the Taicang campus, staff and students came together to build consensus and open a new chapter filled with opportunities and challenges.

On 5 September, AFCT held its All Staff Meeting at the Taicang campus. The gathering reviewed progress and set out priorities for the new academic year. In her address, Dean Professor Qian Liu reiterated the Academy’s vision and mission. As an integral part of XJTLU’s Education 3.0 ecosystem, AFCT is committed to integrating learning, industry and innovation. By developing on-campus enterprises and advanced creative platforms, the Academy aims to connect teaching seamlessly with industry needs. At the same time, it is spearheading the establishment of a world-class immersive dome theatre and related research, driving forward innovation in immersive media and positioning itself as a global leader in digital audio-visual content creation and production.

The Academy also announced new academic and administrative structures. Academically, three Subject Group Leads have been introduced — Digital Technology, Creative Content Generation, and Entrepreneurship and Industry — alongside two Research Centres: the Art Technology and Industry Research Centre(ATIRC) and the Digital Content Creation and Production Centre (DCCPC). AFCT now offers undergraduate programmes in Digital Media Arts, Filmmaking, Arts, Technology and Entertainment with Contemporary Entrepreneurialism, and TV Production, as well as a master’s programme in Cultural and Creative Industries. Further programmes aligned with industry trends are planned. Together, these developments create an interdisciplinary, practice-oriented model of talent cultivation. The Academy also underlined the vital role played by its administrative and technical support teams in underpinning teaching and student services.

That same day, the Cultural and Creative Industries Master’s induction took place in Taicang, where new students familiarised themselves with programme structures and resources, and began building confidence and connections for the year ahead.

Together, these events highlighted AFCT’s distinctive dual-campus development model across SIP and Taicang, while energising staff and students for the year ahead. With its new structures and academic framework in place, the Academy will continue to explore the intersections of digital technology, creative content and industry engagement, advancing educational innovation and integrated practice in teaching, research and industry collaboration.

With the collective efforts of its staff and students, AFCT remains dedicated to offering students high-quality academic guidance, comprehensive growth support and diverse practical opportunities. As XJTLU prepares to celebrate its 20th anniversary in 2026, the Academy will stand alongside the University to showcase achievements in educational innovation and creative practice, and to pursue its mission of taking digital audio-visual content creation and production onto the global stage.

By Wenzhen Li

Photos courtesy of Wenzhen Li and Yiqing Yang