The Fifth Beijing International Film Festival is platform for five 3D films featuring Peking operas, including Teng Junjie's "Farewell, My Concubine," an adaptation of the classic love story; Bao Erfu's "Dragon and the Phoenix Bringing Prosperity"; Wang Haowei and Li Chensheng's "The Pearl Shirt"; Xiao Lang and Qiu Lili's "Qin Xianglian"; and Teng Junjie's "In Pursuit of the General."
Director Teng said at the premiere of "Farewell, My Concubine," that "by including a high-tech and modern touch, audiences can appreciate the beauty of Beijing opera while enjoying the story from their own perspective."
Teng's movie used both traditional Chinese culture and modern filmmaking technology, making it the first 3D Peking opera film in the history of Chinese filmmaking.
The leading roles for "Farewell, My Concubine" are played by Shang Changrong, a 75-year-old opera veteran, and rising star Shi Yihong. Teng's two films premiering at the festival were both produced by Shanghai Peking Opera Troupe and are scheduled to be released on May 5 in big screens across China.
"The Pearl Shirt" director Wang Haowei, speaking at the movie's premiere in Peking University, said that he hopes the opera films make great impact on China's moviegoing audience.
Du Zhenjie, an actor who played a part in the film, said that he is glad actors like him now have the opportunity to star in operas. Du added that he fervently hopes that future generations would carry on the tradition.
To celebrate the 110th anniversary of the movie "Ding Jun Shan," considered to be the first Chinese film and is incidentally also a Peking opera film, as well as the 120th birthday of Mei Lanfang, a Peking opera master, the film fest created a special section for classical Peking opera films. The new section will be established as a platform dedicated to Peking Opera films and its global promotion.
The Peking opera films are part of a project to make 10 films out of the classic operas. Appropriately named Peking Opera Film Project, which started in 2010, it aims to promote China's traditional culture to the world.
"Dragon and the Phoenix Bringing Prosperity" and "The Pearl Shirt" will be screened across China on April 23.