If you're studying at HSK 3 and want to discuss film awards in Mandarin, this 18-line dialogue between Julia and Benjamin puts you in the middle of a heated debate about the Cannes 2026 Palme d'Or winner. You'll practice talking about cinema, expressing opinions about movies, and weighing in on controversies — all with vocabulary sized for your level.
The conversation covers the divisive Palme d'Or awarded to Cristian Mungiu's film "Fjord," starring Sebastian Stan and Renate Reinsve. Julia and Benjamin discuss why the film has people arguing online: its story follows a couple who move to a small Norwegian town and face a painful situation with local child protection services. The dialogue touches on themes of cultural conflict and emotional weight.
New vocabulary includes 优秀 (yōuxiù, "excellent"), 沉重 (chénzhòng, "heavy"), 开幕 (kāi mù, "open" or "inaugurate"), and 抗议 (kàngyì, "protest"). The dialogue also introduces film-festival terminology and words for cultural conflict and small towns as they come up naturally in context.
Start by listening to the full dialogue at normal speed. Use the 0.5x or 0.75x playback option if you need to slow down, and replay individual lines until you're comfortable with the sounds. Then shadow each line — repeating aloud right after the speaker. Finally, switch to speaking mode and read the lines yourself to get pronunciation feedback from Mei Lin.
Listening is free without an account. For more free Chinese listening practice with AI dialogues, browse the full collection. You can also create a custom Chinese dialogue on any topic if you want to explore other aspects of Chinese Cinema. This dialogue is part of the HSK 3 lessons hub page, alongside another HSK 3 listening dialogue titled "Forget the 10,000 Steps". If you'd like a lighter warm-up, try "Red Carpet Crasher", an HSK 2 listening dialogue.
By the end of this session, you'll have practiced expressing opinions about films and festivals in Mandarin — exactly the kind of conversation that comes up when talking about Chinese Cinema with native speakers.
It's an 18-line HSK 3 Mandarin conversation between Julia and Benjamin about the Cannes 2026 Palme d'Or winner, Cristian Mungiu's film "Fjord." They discuss why the movie — which follows a couple in a Norwegian town whose children are taken by child protection services — has audiences divided. The dialogue is part of SayMei's Chinese Cinema collection.
You'll practice words like 优秀 (yōuxiù, "excellent") for praising a film, 沉重 (chénzhòng, "heavy") for describing emotional weight, 开幕 (kāi mù, "open") for festival ceremonies, and 抗议 (kàngyì, "protest") for talking about audience backlash. These terms fit naturally into discussions about Glacial Grief and other film debates.
Yes. After listening to Julia and Benjamin at normal or slowed speed, switch to speaking mode to read lines aloud and get pronunciation feedback. You can replay individual lines as many times as you need before attempting to speak them yourself.
Yes — this dialogue is part of the HSK 3 lessons collection. You can also explore "Forget the 10,000 Steps," another HSK 3 listening dialogue, or try "Red Carpet Crasher" at HSK 2 for a lighter take on film topics.