Film festival sees 40 projects make progress

The recently concluded 9th Beijing International Film Festival has seen 40 projects from 77 companies, with a total value to 30.9 billion yuan ($4.6 million), surging 18.48 percent year on year.

The projects cover a wide range of segments, from scheduled-to-produce films to establishing funds for filmmaking.

One bit of exciting news for sports fans is the unveiling of plans for a film titled Ice Hockey on Fire, which aims to chronicle the history of China’s national ice hockey team.The biographical drama is scheduled to be a tribute to the 2022 Winter Olympics, which will take place from April 4 to 20 in Beijing.

Xu Yiwen, an investor in the film, says ice hockey is a contact sports which demands teamwork.

Director Miao Sheng says the film is his sports-themed debut.

The script is complete and casting is on, says Miao.

For history buffs, a China-Sri Lanka coproduction with the working title The Prince of Celyon will provide an interesting perspective of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644).

The film is based on story of a Crown Prince of Ceylon (Sri Lanka’s colonial name), who visited to China as an emissary with navigator Zheng He and his expeditionary fleet in 1459.

Zhang Chenzheng, the chief of the international department of the China Film Producers Association, says the film will resonate with audiences both in China and Sri Lanka.

Aside from the films, a fund launched by Beijing-based Jade Blossom and Tangshan-based Tang Wen Pictures will raise 300 million yuan, the first batch of a series of phases, to encourage creations on mid-and small-budget films.