Classics as well as Oscar-nominated contemporaries will be screened at the 5th Beijing International Film Festival. (Photo : Reuters)
The 5th Beijing International Film Festival will screen the "Godfather," "Avatar," and "Once Upon a Time in America," among others.
An estimated 300 foreign and domestic films will be screened in 30 theaters in Beijing during the festival period as exhibition and in competition for the Tiantan Awards.
The Beijing International Film Festival is the largest international film festival in Asia since its launching in 2001.
Most of the foreign films to be screened have never been screened in Chinese theaters before. China Film Archive Sha Dan will head a group to pick and select which films to show at the festival.
Sha revealed in his personal blog that the "Godfather" trilogy (4K restoration), "Once Upon a Time in America" (director's cut), classic films starring Audrey Hepburn such as "Breakfast at Tiffany's," "Roman Holiday," "Sabrina," and "Funny Face" (all restored in 4K) are among the chosen ones to be screened.
Aside from the classics, 2015 Academy Awards Nominated films such as "Whiplash," "Gone Girl," "Mr. Turner" and "Leviathan" will also be shown in the festival.
Oscar winner filmmaker Richard Linklater's "Before Sunrise," "Before Sunset," and "Before Midnight" will be under the festival spotlight.
Other Hollywood blockbusters such as "Avatar," "Life of Pi" and "Prometheus" will also be screened.
Films by Hong Kong director King Hu (Hu Jinquan, 1932-1997), whose movies influenced contemporary filmmakers Ang Lee and Tsui Hark, will also be shown at the festival along with "Dragon Inn," "Come Drink with Me," "A Touch of Zen" and "The Fate of Lee Khan."
The annual film carnival will be held from April 16-23, 2015, in Beijing.
Former artistic chief of Rome, Venice and Locarno film festivals Marco Mueller was appointed as chief advisor to the festival, while Frech filmmaker Luc Besson has been appointed president of the international jury for Tiantan Awards.
