Capital ready to embrace Beijing International Film Festival

Beijing is ready to embrace the upcoming 8th Beijing International Film Festival, which is due to be held from April 15 to 22.

Various activities will be staged across the capital, including the Tiantan Awards selection, a movie carnival, forums, premieres and concerts.

Yanqi Lake International Convention and Exhibition Center in Huairou district will witness film stars and directors dressing up for the red carpet at the opening ceremony on April 15.

During the festival, more than 500 movies will hit the screens at 32 cinemas across Beijing, where cast members from some of the movies will meet moviegoers in selected theaters.

Ren Qian, vice-president of the organizing committee, announced at a recent news conference that Hong Kong filmmaker Wong Kar-wai would be the judge of this year's Tiantan Awards. The winners will be selected from among 579 film entries from 70 countries and regions.

According to Hu Dong, deputy secretary-general for the committee, box office takings in Beijing reached 3.40 billion yuan ($537 million) in 2017.

"The upward trend in the box office reflects the burgeoning film market in Beijing. And the festival will surely be conducive to the development of the cultural and creative industries in China's capital," said Hu.