DUANJU  NEWS

When you think of cinema, you immediately think of feature films projected on the big screen. However, the roots of cinema lie in a completely different reality: that of the short format. Today, duanju, also an ultra-short format, with episodes lasting 1 to 3 minutes designed for the mobile age, invites us to delve back into the cinema of its origins, particularly that of the Lumière Brothers. The Lumière Brothers: inventors of big-screen cinema and short film formats In 1895, Louis and Auguste Lumière presented their cinematograph to the public. The inaugural demonstration, with the famous film "La Sortie de l'usine Lumière," lasted only 46 seconds! The reason? A technical constraint: the film stock didn't allow for longer filming. Short format doesn't necessarily mean unproductive. Proof of this is that between 1895 and 1905, the Lumière brothers made more than 1,400 numbered and listed films, plus more than 600 others not included in the catalog. Almost all of them adhered to this constraint: less than a minute, a single take, a fixed frame. And yet, they managed to capture powerful and universal moments: children at play, scenes from everyday life, and the daily grind of the streets. These micro-sequences sparked public enthusiasm and paved the way for a new art. From the Lumière brothers to duanju, the short format is exported and also draws on international experience. The brothers quickly trained operators to use their invention, who then traveled the world to film local events. Similarly, duanju crosses all continents, with local adaptations of hit series. We therefore readily associate cinema and feature films, but cinema was born short. And as such, duanju does not represent a break, but rather a continuity. Duanju: the short format chosen and not imposed While Lumière films were short by technical necessity, duanju adopts the short format by strategic choice. In the era of mobile usage, fragmented attention spans, and multiple digital demands, viewers favor brief, effective, and immersive formats. The duanju episodes correspond perfectly to these new behaviors and current expectations, where attention is quickly captured and held. Yet, the two approaches converge. We observe the same narrative efficiency: in a few seconds, a place, an atmosphere, characters, and a situation must be established. The same power of suggestion must be summoned: the images must immediately involve the viewer. Finally, the economy of means remains from one era to another: the Lumière brothers filmed in a single take. Duanju, for its part, often favors quick shoots, with a controlled budget and a limited number of takes. In both cases, brevity becomes a creative constraint. When constraint nourishes art The experimental film " Lumière & Company" perfectly illustrates the artistic legacy of the Lumière Brothers and its continuity in contemporary creation. In 1995, to celebrate 100 years of cinema, some forty renowned directors, from Wim Wenders to David Lynch, agreed to shoot a film respecting the technical rules of the Lumière Brothers: a maximum duration of 52 seconds, a maximum of three takes, and no artificial lighting. The result: radically different works, each marked by the artistic identity and sensibility of its author, despite using the same technologies and constraints. What we take away from this: the short format does not prevent art. On the contrary, it stimulates creativity. Duanju fits into this logic: with little time and few means, it can and must produce strong, intense, singular works. Serial storytelling: an ancient history Duanju exploits another dimension: serial writing, a choice that is also not new. From the beginning of the 20th century, the first major cinematic serials appeared. In 1908, " Nick Carter, the King of Detectives" , directed by Victorin-Hippolyte Jasset, offered a series of episodes featuring a recurring hero. A few years later, in 1915, " The Vampires " by Louis Feuillade extended this logic: a story in episodes, a serialized plot centered on a criminal organization, strong characters. Duanju revives this tradition: a rhythmic narration, short episodes, recurring characters, while adapting it to the digital age, with its modern uses and distribution on mobile. From the train entering the station to the smartphone screen The Lumière Brothers changed our relationship with image and movement. With what is considered their most famous film, " Train Entering the Station ," screened in 1986 at a cinema in La Ciotat, France, they invented an art, a language, and a collective experience. Duanju extends this adventure: it transposes intensity onto today's screens, condensing emotion, narrative, and visual identity into a very short time. The short format is therefore not a recent trend, as one might think: it is a return to the roots. There is, however, one essential difference: from now on, the choice of the short format is no longer a technical constraint, but a new way of telling stories to a generation in a hurry and multi-connected. Duanju, like the Lumière brothers, must continue to show that one can make art with little: little time, few resources, but a lot of inventiveness. Article written by Maëlle Billant #MaelleBillant Sources: • Lumière Institute: Lumière films • Lumière Institute: The Lumière cinematograph • Cineccentric , July 7, 2021 • Encyclopaedia Britannica

This new wave of influence is not the first: from the “chinoiserie” of the 18th century (porcelain, lacquer, pagodas) to the vogue for tea, and later the boom of martial arts and Hong Kong cinema (Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan), China has often shaped the Western imagination; duanju is today’s mobile incarnation of that tradition. Duanju is emerging as a key laboratory for mobile storytelling and fiction, at the heart of a Chinese strategy where culture, platforms, and public policy advance in unison. Internationally, duanju apps surpassed 370 million downloads in the first quarter of 2025, according to Sensor Tower. A format calibrated for export Duanju has become a genuine export industry. Industry reports highlight the rise of duanju platforms in the American, Asian, and Latin American markets, with revenues growing strongly in the United States. Douyin, the Chinese TikTok It is impossible to talk about duanju without mentioning TikTok. The app, ByteDance’s global showcase, plays a key role in the spread of short-form content. But its domestic version, Douyin, follows a different logic. In China, the platform integrates mini-programs and shops that allow users to watch a series, purchase a product featured in an episode, subscribe, or join a duanju app without leaving the platform. ByteDance, the parent company of Douyin and TikTok, even offers a turnkey solution to host, review, distribute, and monetize short dramas directly within Douyin. This seamless integration turns each episode into a transactional entry point, accelerating their professionalization. TikTok, a more open but less integrated model Internationally, TikTok remains powerful for discovery, but outbound links are more restricted. The launch of TikTok Shop in the United States in September 2023, and later in Europe (France, Germany, Italy) in March 2025, marks a shift toward an integration closer to the Douyin model and paves the way for the export of duanju. Despite this, creators often have to rely on the bio link or hold a Business account to add direct links. This difference highlights two approaches: in China, duanju benefits from full integration between content and transaction, while abroad the user journey remains fragmented and more costly for producers. And while this model can be restrictive for creators, it remains highly profitable for ByteDance. Local cultural adaptation One of the major levers of duanju lies in localization. Studios modify characters, settings, and narrative themes to align with the sensibilities of local audiences and regulators. Netflix is also experimenting with these adaptation strategies, adjusting the tone and cultural references for each market. Pilots serve as tests, and only stories that resonate with their audience are then rolled out on a large scale. Chinese soft power For international observers, the rise of duanju illustrates a soft power strategy combining narratives, infrastructure, and commerce. The goal: to shape imaginaries compatible with Chinese interests while asserting its technological and cultural capabilities. In China, the distribution of duanju is regulated: sensitive content is filtered, duration is limited, and catalogs are regularly monitored by the authorities. What this changes for Europe For European creators and producers, the rise of duanju implies three developments. A new storytelling market that imposes fast and efficient narrative codes. A technical standard where viewing, payment, and commerce are combined in the same user journey. A competition of models, where the advantage will depend on the adaptation of local works to the vertical format, the direct link between episodes and transactions, and mastery of regulatory frameworks. Sources: • CSIS – ChinaPower , February 27, 2016 • Council on Foreign Relations , February 9, 2018 • National Endowment for Democracy , June 19, 2017 • USC Center on Public Diplomacy , October 1, 2018 • Les Échos , May 7, 2024 • GEO , August 15, 2025 • Sensor Tower , July 16, 2025 • 流媒体网 (LMTW) , August 28, 2025

In the global microdrama ecosystem, a decisive step has just been taken. The DramaBox platform, already essential in Asia and increasingly influential internationally, has been chosen by Disney to join its prestigious Disney Accelerator program. Created in 2014, the Disney Accelerator annually supports a select number of companies deemed strategic for the future of entertainment. The 2025 edition has selected four companies: DramaBox, Animaj, Haddy, and LIMINAL Space. All will benefit from mentoring by Disney executives and opportunities to collaborate with the group's various divisions. By selecting DramaBox, Disney is sending a strong signal: Duanju is no longer a mere local phenomenon, but a format that major global groups are now taking very seriously. Designed for mobile devices, these vertical stories, condensed into a few minutes, attract hundreds of millions of viewers in Asia and are beginning to gain traction elsewhere, particularly in Europe and the United States. While financial details of the deal have not been disclosed, the addition of DramaBox to the program opens the door to further experimentation with Disney. Whether it's new broadcast models, original content, or local adaptations, this collaboration marks an important step in the format's global visibility. DramaBox in figures Since its launch in 2023, DramaBox has surpassed 100 million downloads on Android and boasts over 90 million registered users, including 30 million monthly active users. The app is available in over 200 countries and regions, with a catalog of over 1,000 series. Its influence is also reflected on social media: 16 million followers on Facebook, 11.2 million on TikTok, 5.8 million on Instagram, and nearly 460,000 subscribers on YouTube for the French-language channel. These figures make it a leading platform in the sector, a direct rival to ReelShort. Sources • The Walt Disney Company , July 29, 2025 • C21Media , July 29, 2025 • Kidscreen , July 29, 2025 • Washington Post , August 23, 2025 • WGBH , March 19, 2025 • 36Kr Europe , 2024 • Ainvest , 2025 • Barchart , 2025

Based on our exclusive information, a new mobile series is set to be released on Sunday, August 24, 2025, available on the Story TV platform. Its title is self-explanatory: "Dangerous Relationship with a Femme Fatale." This thriller is part of the boom in micro-series in the duanju format. The plot opens with the mysterious death of Alexandre Beaumont, a brilliant lawyer found lifeless in his villa. His wife, Eva Mariane, a seductive and elusive investigative journalist, becomes the main suspect. Is she a grieving widow or a calculating predator? Doubt sets in from the very first scenes. Tasked with the investigation, Commander Lemoine must resist the trap of a dangerous seduction. Beside him, Warrant Officer Claire Dargent observes her superior's gradual descent, drawn in by a woman who muddies the waters as much as she catches eyes. "This is a crime scene, not a date," Lemoine asserts, before Eva retorts: "And yet, I'm the one you're staring at." The series relies on a trio of actors. Sam Lyam plays Commander Lemoine, torn between rigor and temptation, while Charline Rossi, with her clear-sighted gaze, contrasts with her superior. Marie Venturi's performance in the role of Eva Mariane is distinguished by its accuracy and formidable intensity. Directed and produced by Adrien Cottinaud and Alexandre Perrin, the series immerses viewers in a world of passion and manipulation. The series is available on StoryTV . Discover the trailer below. If necessary, enable subtitles in your language.

The format is moving from mobile apps to classrooms. Roy Hanney, a researcher and lecturer at Southampton Solent University, a UK-based institution renowned for its creative and media education, is taking a close look at the duanju phenomenon. In a study published in August 2025, he traces the format's rise in China, which has become a multi-billion-yuan industry, and its international expansion, analyzing its aesthetic codes (vertical video, close-ups, fast pace), its narrative formulas (cliffhangers, melodramatic archetypes), and its business models. He cites in particular the success of Escape from the British Museum , which accumulated more than 300 million views in one week and generated massive sales of derivative products, or the short adaptation of Pride and Prejudice filmed in the United Kingdom in 2024, condensed into 16 vertical episodes of less than two minutes each. Starting this fall, its students will be taking a new module: developing and pitching their own micro-drama concepts, in conjunction with industrial realities and local businesses in the creative industries. The goal: to transform the classroom into a true project incubator, where theory and practice feed off each other. This approach reflects Roy Hanney's conviction that duanju is not just an object of study, but a field of experimentation and training for the talents of tomorrow, at the crossroads of research, creation and local economic development. • Zenodo , August 11, 2025

In an interview with Philippe Guedj of the French magazine Le Point on August 7, 2025, Tom Rothman, president of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group , delivers a nuanced and optimistic analysis on the impact of streaming in the film industry. Streaming: Not the culprit, but a new partner For Rothman, streaming is not the enemy of cinema: “ Streaming isn't the problem: most people don't understand this. In reality, streaming has essentially replaced broadcast television.* » He even believes that platforms like Netflix can be good allies, provided that films are released in theaters first before being shown online. The real issue: the duration of exclusivity in theaters According to him, the real threat to theaters lies in the excessive reduction of the exclusivity window. Before the pandemic, it often exceeded 100 days; today, it can drop to 17 days, which weakens the appeal of the big screen. He praises the French model, where the window is longer, even if he considers the regulations sometimes too rigid and points out that this framework has allowed the national box office to rebound after Covid. Collective experience: an enduring force In the face of those who consider cinema to be outdated, Rothman passionately defends the social and immersive dimension of the big screen: " Films on the big screen are a different experience from films on your phone because they're communal. " He remains convinced that cinema will never die as long as this shared moment in theaters persists. Source : • Le Point , August 7, 2025

ReelShort is a California-based company (Sunnyvale), launched in August 2022 by Crazy Maple Studio , a subsidiary backed by the Chinese group COL Group , which still holds 49% of the shares. Although legally incorporated in the United States, it still maintains a strong Chinese structure involved in writing, production and data analysis. In just over two years, it has exploded: 370 million downloads in the first quarter of 2025 (+500% compared to 2024), $700 million in revenue, notably from in-app purchases and freemium subscriptions. The freemium subscription allows free access to the first episodes, while the rest requires either watching ads or purchasing virtual tokens to unlock episodes more quickly. ReelShort had approximately 55 million monthly active users by the end of 2025, and consistently ranked in the top 5 entertainment apps on the US App Store in 2023 and 2024, even surpassing TikTok at times. ReelShort is a leader in the Western Duanju market, with approximately 30% international market share, directly competing with DramaBox , owned by Dianzhong Technology . Joey Jia , founder and CEO of Crazy Maple Studio , believes that the ultra-short vertical format represents the future of entertainment, thanks to its rapid production, precise analysis of audiences and viewer behaviors, and its ability to create local stars in each target market. So it's not just a matter of translating Chinese series: the platform produces localized versions according to the market. Sources: • Wired , July 29, 2025 • The Washington Post , February 3, 2024 • The Economist , November 23, 2023 • IndieWire , November 30, 2023 • TechCrunch , November 16, 2023 • Rest of World , December 11, 2023 • Yicai Global , November 24, 2023 • Business Insider , June 5, 2025 • Time , May 15, 2024 • TechTrendsKE , July 28, 2025

Once the cultural flagship, Chinese cinema now gives way to micro dramas (Duanju): vertical stories, designed for mobile and condensed into a few minutes, that reinvent popular storytelling. A market larger than that of film In 2023, China's micro-drama market reached 35.9 billion yuan. In 2024, it surpassed 50 billion yuan , surpassing the domestic film industry's revenue of 47 billion yuan for the first time. This shift marks a structural turning point. According to projections, the micro-drama market could exceed 100 billion yuan by 2027. Rapid growth, massive jobs The sector's dynamism is also measured by the creation of companies: more than 16,000 micro-drama companies were established in China in 2024, generating more than 600,000 jobs . From scriptwriting to post-production and algorithmic marketing, an entire ecosystem is emerging, at the crossroads of entertainment and technology. An export that is accelerating The phenomenon is no longer limited to China. In the first quarter of 2025, microdramas generated more than 2.4 billion yuan internationally . The United States already accounts for more than 45% of revenue outside China, ahead of Japan and Australia. The genre is winning over new audiences, attracted by its brevity, its twists, and its ability to adapt to local codes. What was still considered a "niche" in 2022 has, in three years, become a pillar of the content economy. Platforms like ReelShort, DramaBox, and NetShort are waging a fierce battle with advertising campaigns and targeted genres. Sources: • Chambers , October 15, 2024 • China Daily , December 27, 2024 • WARC , February 20, 2025 • Awn China , 2025 • SocialPeta , 2025

The ranking of YouTube channels featuring Duanju (also known as short drama, mini drama, microfiction, or mobile vertical fiction ) by subscriber count, as of July 22, 2025. By clicking on the channel name below, you can access it directly. YouTube Channel Number of subscribers DramaBox 11.6M ReelShort 6.43M DramaWave 3.17M NetShort 2.71M GoodShort 1.13M My Drama 911K Stardust TV 651K SnackShort 464K MoboReels Shorts 327K KALOS TV 318K Drama Shorts 159K Drama Bites 131K Cool Drama 122K Drama flow 118K DreameShort 117K HoneyReels 117K Sereal+ 108K Best Short Series Collection 104K DomiReel 92.5K ShortsWave Official 92.3K ZeroShort 84.1K DramaPops 82K MaxDrama 78.2K ShortMax 64.2K LoveShots 62.5K Vigloo 57K Short Drama 32.5K Tallflix 30.2K AltaTV 24.7K JoyReels 23.2K Story TV 22.7k SaltyTV 20.6K Guyan TV 17.3K Easthort 5.86K FlickReels 5.48K HappyShort-love 5.33K LiteTV 4.57K Playlet 1.39K An omission? Contact our editorial team: studio-phoceen@hotmail.fr

While traveling in Indonesia and South Korea, Gaëtan Bruel, president of the National Center for Cinema and the Moving Image (CNC) , the public organization responsible for supporting audiovisual creation in France, published a message on LinkedIn in which he mentioned for the first time vertical dramas, these mobile fictions in short, vertical format, also called Duanju , the Chinese term for a genre born in China. Former director of cultural services at the French Embassy in the United States, Gaëtan Bruel took over as head of the CNC in February 2025. In this position, he is responsible for defining the broad guidelines for public support for film and audiovisual creation in France. In this publication, he describes contrasting dynamics between Indonesia, where cinema attendance is increasing, and South Korea, which has been in sharp decline since 2019. He sees this as a sign of a shift towards more individual and digital uses. It is in this context that he emphasizes that "innovations in formats are now coming from Asia (webtoon, vertical drama) with a very prescriptive effect." The mention of vertical dramas is thus part of a broader reflection on the growing influence of Asian content and on the need for France to remain active in this global transformation of formats. He also points out that the development of streaming does not necessarily imply a drop in cinema attendance, provided that the former is regulated and the latter supported. This mention, the first from the CNC, is symbolic. It shows that these mobile formats, until now marginal in the French institutional landscape, are beginning to enter the field of reflection of cultural policies. Source : • Gaëtan Bruel - Linkedin , July 16, 2025