Classic films to be shown at Beijing film festival

The "Godfather" trilogy, "Avatar," "Once Upon a Time in America," and Oscar contenders such as "Whiplash" will be shown at the Fifth Beijing International Film Festival in April, the organizers revealed.

Around 200 - 300 foreign and domestic films will be shown in nearly 30 theaters in Beijing during this festival period as exhibition motion pictures and competition pictures for the Tiantan Awards. Most of the foreign films have never been shown in China before.

Sha Dan, an official from the China Film Archive, will head a team to select and promote the films at the film festival. In his gradual revelations on his personal blog in January, 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 heavyweight selections for the classic old films category.

The 2015 Oscar-nominated films such as "Whiplash," "Gone Girl," "Mr. Turner" and "Leviathan" will also be screened during the festival. Award-winning director Richard Linklater's "Before Sunrise," "Before Sunset," and "Before Midnight" will be under the spotlight in Beijing in April, as well as acclaimed blockbusters such as "Avatar," "Life of Pi" and "Prometheus" from recent years.

Classic works from legendary Hong Kong director King Hu (Hu Jinquan, 1932 - 1997), who explored a new style of martial arts movies since the 1960s, will also be shown at the festival, including "Dragon Inn," "Come Drink with Me," "A Touch of Zen" and "The Fate of Lee Khan." His works influenced generations of Chinese directors including Ang Lee and Tsui Hark.

The annual film carnival will be held from April 16 - 23, 2015 in Beijing.

Marco Mueller, former artistic chief at the Rome, Venice and Locarno film festivals has been appointed as the chief advisor to the festival. French director Luc Besson has also agreed to be the president of the international jury for the festival's Tiantan Awards.

Since its launch in 2001, the Beijing International Film Festival has developed into one of the largest international film festivals in Asia.