The 3rd Beijing International Film Festival will be held in Beijing from Apr. 16 to 23, organizers stated yesterday.

The opening ceremony will be held at Beijing's Temple of Heaven Park, a world famous scenic spot, on the night of Apr. 16, and is sure to be packed with movie stars and industry people.

In addition to the central features of the past two festivals, including the Film Forum, Film Market and Film Carnival, the 3rd Beijing International Film Festival will add a competition section for participating films -- the first Temple of Heaven Awards. The segment will include ten awards for Best Feature, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Best Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Music and Best Visual Effects. The winners of the awards will be announced at the closing ceremony.

Li Chunliang, vice chairman of the festival committee and head of the Beijing Radio, Film and TV Bureau, said at the press conference yesterday that awards in general form the core of any film festival, help establish its characteristics and raise the festival's publicity and influence in the industry, as well as strengthen the exchange and collaboration between international filmmakers.

The Competition section and the Out-of-Competition section have done the process of accepting international film entries, which respect cultural diversity and display outstanding quality in film making. The movies should be made and screened between Jan. 1, 2012 and Dec. 31, 2012, and their running time should be more than 70 minutes.

Organizers said a total of 531 films from 56 countries have been submitted since last September. 17 of them will be shortlisted and then they competed for awards. The nomination shortlist will be unveiled at the end of February.

Aside from the abovementioned, 260 classic films and blockbusters, domestic and foreign, will be screened at various cinemas during the festival for both movie lovers and public. The Film Carnival will be held at the Beijing Olympic Park and in the city's more remote Huairou District.

The Beijing International Film Festival is hosted by the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television (SARFT) and the People's Government of Beijing Municipality, and organized by the SARFT Film Bureau and Beijing Municipal Bureau of Radio, Film and Television. With its two-year development thus far, the Beijing International Film Festival has become an important showcase of the collaboration and cooperation of world films, and has received wide involvement from the global film industry.

About 4,000 domestic and international entrepreneurs, filmmakers and professionals attended last year's festival, 640 film institutions set up their exhibition booths and 21 film projects, worth a total of 5.27 billion yuan (US$ 847.57 million), were signed. Highlights also included James Cameron's visit and several summit forums.

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