“Beijing 2022,” the official documentary about the 2022 Winter Olympic Games, has been set as the opening film of the revived Beijing International Film Festival.
It is directed by noted narrative and documentary film maker Lu Chuan (“Kekexili,” “City of Life and Death” and Disney’s “Born in China”) and will have its world premiere at the festival.
The festival will run April 22-29 and be based in the Huairou district which has become an out of town hub for the film industry, as well as other venues in the Chinese capital. For the past three editions the BJIFF has been held online due to disruptions caused by China’s strict anti-COVID measures.
Organizers said that the festival will operate in nine sections including a feature competition and include some 160 film titles. A jury headed by Zhang Yimou will determine the section’s Tiantan prizes. State media reported that the competition will include between ten and 15 titles, with titles announced so far including “Adios Buenos Aires,” “Driving Madeleine,” “Scrapper” and “To Catch a Killer.”
Like the Shanghai International Film Festival, which this week also detailed elements of its comeback edition, the BJIFF will place emphasis on the Chinese government’s economic outreach program known as the Belt & Road Initiative.
Thailand will be the country of honor at the BJIFF. The celebrations involve a visit by Thai filmmakers, a conference on bilateral film industry cooperation and the screening of a selection of Thai film classics.
A sports film week, a sports film project fund and the Beijing Film Market were announced as side events.
