Chinese cinema to add fire to Sydney Film Festival

A strong lineup of Chinese-language films are among the highlights of next month's 2013 Sydney Film Festival, the director of a documentary on China's booming wine industry told Xinhua Wednesday.

Red Obsession by Australian documentary filmmaker David Roach combines two modern Australian passions: China and wine.

According to Roach, Red Obsession looks at the enormous appetite that China's rising middle class have for fine French wine from the Bordeaux region.

"Its more than just a comment on wine, its about the shift of economic power from the west to the east," He told Xinhua.

With an eclectic selection of world cinema, including five Chinese language films, the Festival was officially launched by the NSW Minister for Tourism, Major Events and the Arts George Souris last week.

Souris said there will be 19 World Premieres at the Festival, including the two major Australian feature productions "Mystery Road" and "Nerve".

The 60th Sydney Film Festival will feature 276 screenings of 190 films from around the world.

One of Australia's most well-known actors, Hugo Weaving, (best known for his roles in V for Vendetta, The Matrix and The Lord of the Rings, will lead a panel judging the 12 films in the official competition.

Among the leading Chinese entrants are Longing for the Rain by Director Yang Lina and Director Chang Jung-Chi's Touch of the Light, a German, Chinese collaboration that follows the story of the Shaolin Tagu Kung Fu School.