Highlights of the 6th Beijing International Film Festival

By Zhang Rui: 0 Comment(s)Print E-mail China.org.cn, April 16, 2016

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As the opening ceremony will be held on Saturday night, China.org.cn previews the highlights of 6th Beijing International Film Festival.

The official poster for the 6th Beijing International Film Festival. [Photo / China.org.cn]

Grand opening and closing ceremonies

The Beijing TV Station (BTV) and the CCTV Movie Channel will organize the opening and closing ceremonies on April 16 and April 23 at the Beijing Yanqi Lake International Convention and Exhibition Center. This year's film festival, centered on a theme of "high quality films and the China spirit", integrates the films to offer a culture feast for the audience. Chinese and foreign film stars and industry elites will attend the opening and closing ceremony as well as the red carpet, and unveil the Tiantan Award.

More than 3,000 guests from China and other countries are invited, among them are over 600 famous domestic and foreign filmmakers, directors, actors and actresses, including 16 presidents of international film festivals and industry leaders. American actress Natalie Portman, actor Christoph Waltz, Italian director Giuseppe Tornatore, American directors Raman Hui, Anthony Russo and Joseph Russo, American film producer James Schamus, Indian director Rajkumar Hirani, South Korean actor Lee Min-ho, as well as domestic Chinese filmmakers, actors and actresses such as Chow Yun-Fat, Aaron Kwok, Tony Leung Ka-fai, Eason Chan, Yao Chen, Tang Wei, Zhang Jingchu, Jane Zhang, Wu Xiubo, Gigi Leung, Yu Dong and Huang Jianxin, as well as the crews of "On the Road," "Book of Love," "Cold War 2," "My War," "New York! New York!" and "Burning Cloud" will walk on the red carpet and attend the opening and closing Ceremony.

Film Panorama

The Film Panorama was organized by the China Film Archive. From April 16 to April 23, more than 500 domestic and foreign films will be shown at 25 cinemas and academic institutions as well as five colleges and universities, with over 1,000 screenings. Among them are the sci-fi classic "Star Wars" series, the "Alien" series, Oscar-winning and nominated films, and the films winning the Golden Palm, the Grand Prize of the Festival, the Jury Prize of the Cannes Film Festival, the Golden Bear of the Berlin International Film Festival, the Grand Jury Prize of the Venice Film Festival as well as other popular commercial films in recent years. A total of 2,329 films from 105 countries and regions signed up for this year's Film Panorama, an increase of 53 percent over last year, and 500 were eventually selected to show.

It pays tribute to master filmmakers by holding special exhibitions in commemoration of the 110th anniversary of the birth of Billy Wilder, the 30th anniversary of the death of Andrei Arsenyevich Tarkovsky, Japanese film director Yoshimitsu Morita, the 100th anniversary of the birth of Sang Gu, the Hong Kong Milkyway Image 20th anniversary and the 30th anniversary of the filmmaking of Huang Jianxin.

Film forums

There are three major forums for this year's film festival, which were undertaken by China Film Co-production Corporation, China Film Co., Ltd Marketing Corporation and China National Film Museum respectively. "Sino-Foreign Film Co-production Forum" and the "Chinese Film Merchandising Industry Summit" will take place in the Beijing International Hotel on April 17 and April 18 respectively, while the "Summit on the Beauty of Film - The Charm of Comedy Film" will be held on April 22 in the China National Film Museum. By then, world-renowned film directors, producers and industry leaders will be invited to discuss hot topics, exchange ideas and share experience.

Film market

Organized by EntGroup Technology & Media LLC, the section of the Film Market will take place from April 19 to April 21 in the Beijing International Hotel. With a theme of "Demonstration, Promotion, Transaction and Communication", the Film Market has five major parts, including Exhibition, Project Pitches, Industry Conversations and Events and Activities. World-renowned film institutions, top domestic film studios and hi-tech companies as well as other related enterprises will participate in the exhibition. Over 200 domestic and foreign agencies registered, covering fields such as creation, production, distribution, brokerage, marketing, promotion and technology. It has also attracted dozens of famous foreign film agencies from countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom, France, South Korea and Australia to take part. In terms of the exhibition categories, production corporations still occupy the mainstream by making up 44 percent.

It is worth noting that many VR (Virtual Reality) specialized new technology corporations actively participate in the exhibitions, which signifies that the integration of media has entered into a new phase and represents the new highlight of this year's film market. With a year-on-year growth of 48 percent, Project Pitches has already collected 674 potential projects.

This year, 4 industry conversations as well as 23 events and activities will be held, which will cover content such as the big data of the box office market and film technology in order to reflect the latest market trends.

Film carnival

This year's Film Carnival organized by the Huairou District government will again be held at the Yanqi Lake. Focused on animated films, the Film Carnival highlights "happiness, children's fun and return", in a bid to enhance the influence of the Huairou Film & TV Demo Zone and the local tourism brand.

Documentary Section

This Documentary Section has collected 1,467 works for registration, all of which were produced after 2015, including 1,352 international works and 115 domestic ones (including China-foreign co-productions). Many of them won awards or were nominated at the Cannes Film Festival, Berlin International Film Festival, Venice International Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival, Sundance Film Festival, Academy Awards (Oscars), or Cinéma du réel. This Documentary Section has set up over 40 activities, including the Opening Ceremony, China Documentary Industry Annual Forum 2016, China-Australian Documentary Forum 2016, The Founding of "Belt and Road Initiatives" Media Communication Union and more.

Toward the Future

The "Forward Future" Section was established at the 4th Beijing International Film Festival by the Organizing Committee and the Beijing Film Academy, aiming to encourage initiative spirit, identify new filmmakers, stimulate creative vitality and promote cooperation among young filmmakers. This year's Forward Future Section will, as always, adhere to its constant purport, encourage new directors, make the most of the artistic talent of new filmmakers, and represent current art trends and the aesthetics of new films in the world in accordance with the Panorama Charter of the Beijing International Film Festival.

Concerts

During the film festival, the World Classic Theme Film Songs Concert and the World Theme Music Concert, two concerts reflecting international standards, Chinese culture features and the charm of film music will be put on the stage on April 22 and 23 respectively at the Cultural Palace of Nationalities, showcasing the brilliant achievements of Chinese and foreign film music.

Other events

Apart from the aforementioned activities, this year's Film Festival will also build a platform for professionals to exchange ideas and experience as well as cooperate with each other by holding 200 more activities such as the Online Film Section as well as a new film release conference, meetings with film makers, film salons and industry conversations.

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