Beijing International Film Festival aims to be top movie event

TV anchor He Jiong (center) and his crew.[Photo By Jiang Dong/China Daily]

Latest available figures show that the movie industry fair, part of the festival that was held from April 17 to 20 in the China Millennium Monument, attracted 275 movie companies and institutions from 25 countries and regions, up 11 percent year-on-year.

Project Pitches, a major section of the market which aims to find film projects that have big commercial potential, have received 455 applicants, double the total of the previous year.

In the previous four festivals from 2011 to 2014, a total of 80 movie projects were picked up, hitting a trade value as high as 27.3 billion yuan.

"China's booming movie market and its huge commercial potential have garnered attention from many international moviemakers. More than 30 foreign exhibitors are holding events in this year's market. The figure doubles last year's," reveals Chen Caiyun, the marketing head with the festival's committee.

Details of big-budget coproductions, jointly produced by China and top film studios from Europe and the North America, have also been released during the festival.

The fantasy thriller Warrior Gate, a Sino-French production by Besson's EuropaCorp and the Shanghai-based Fundamental Films, unveiled its cast on last Friday.

Chinese-Canadian actor Mark Chao, rising Chinese actress Ni Ni and American teen actor Uriah Shelton will star in the 300-million-yuan blockbuster, written by veteran American scriptwriter Robert Kamen, who is also one of the Tiantan awards' jurors, and directed by Matthias Hoene.