Arnold Schwarzenegger to address Beijing film festival

Arnold Schwarzenegger. [Photo/cntv.cn]

Austrian-born US actor and former California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger will attend and address the fifth Beijing International Film Festival, to be held from April 16 to 23, organizers said on April 12.

Famous for his role in "The Terminator," Schwarzenegger stars in two films due for release in 2015: zombie film "Maggie" and "Terminator Genisys."

The festival, with opening and closing ceremonies to be held at Yanqi Lake on the outskirts of Beijing, where the APEC meetings were held last year, has attracted 930 movies from 90 countries and regions to compete for its Tiantan Awards.

French director Luc Besson will chair the awards jury, which also includes American writer-producer Robert Mark Kamen, South Korean auteur Kim Ki-duk, Brazilian director Fernando Meirelles, Russia's Fyodor Bondarchuk, Peter Chan from Hong Hong and Chinese actress Zhou Xun.

Jean-Jacques Annaud, who directed recent China-Francehit "Wolf Totem," is also expected to attend the festival.

The 10 Tiantan Awards include gongs for best feature film, best director, best actor, best actress and best music.

Film forums, premieres and other activities will be organized during the annual film festival.