International film festival opens in Beijing

Jury members of Tiantan Awards Zhang Yimou (3rd L), Stanley Kwan (2nd R), Nadav Lapid (1st L), Pimpaka Towira (1st R), Zhang Songwen (3rd R) and Zhou Dongyu pose for a group photo on the red carpet of the 13th Beijing International Film Festival in Beijing, capital of China, April 21, 2023. (Xinhua/Chen Zhonghao)

BEIJING, April 22 (Xinhua) -- The 13th Beijing International Film Festival (BJIFF) kicked off Saturday at the Beijing Yanqi Lake International Convention &Exhibition Center.

Jury members of the 13th Tiantan Award of this year's BJIFF, led by renowned Chinese director Zhang Yimou as the jury president, appeared at the opening ceremony.

The organizer said that a record-breaking 1,488 films from 93 countries and regions had applied for the competition this year. Among them, 15 films were selected to contend for the Tiantan Award.

Ten awards, including best feature film, best director, best artistic contribution, best leading actor, and best leading actress, will be announced at the closing ceremony on April 29.

Diverse online and offline activities, such as international film screening and forums, will be held during the festival.

Initiated in 2011, the BJIFF aims to boost exchanges among global industry insiders. It has attracted increasing international attention thanks to China's booming film market.

China's box office total in 2022 was 30.07 billion yuan (about 4.37 billion U.S. dollars), according to data from the China Film Administration.