‘Operation Mekong’ among contenders for Best Film
BEIJING: Operation Mekong starring Eddie Peng is among the favourites to win the Best Film Award at the Beijing International Film Festival ( BIFF).
Also in the running is Mr No Problem.
The Beijing festival’s jury is set to outshine the competition that it’s judging.
In total, 15 films from 19 countries are to be judged for the main category.
These include Dim The Fluorescents ( Canada); Kanon (Japan); Luka ( Georgia); Night of a 1000 Hours ( Luxembourg, Austria, Holland); The Death and Life of Otto Bloom (Australia) and Two Lottery Tickets ( Romania).
BIFF, which has already begun public screenings but begins in earnest on Apr 16, is featuring seven David Lynch films, showing all seven instalments of The Fast and the Furious series ahead of the worldwide and China debut of The Fate of the Furious on Apr 14.
Similarly, it is screening all of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies ahead of the expected release of Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales in May. No Chinese release has been announced, but the film passed censorship in China at the end of March, paving the way for a possible day- and- date release.
The members of the BIFF
Joining the three jury members above are Chinese actress Jiang Wenli (Farewell My Concubine), Romanian director Radu Jude (Scarred Hearts), Hong Kong director Mabel Cheung (The Illegal Immigrant), and producer Paolo del Brocco.
jury for its Tiantan Awards will likely outshine any of the titles in competition, with top international film names including actor Jean Reno ( The Crimson Rivers), director Rob Minkoff ( The Lion King), and as previously reported, jury head Bille August ( Pelle the Conqueror) on board to pick the winners.
Joining the three jury members above are Chinese actress Jiang Wenli ( Farewell My Concubine), Romanian director Radu Jude ( Scarred Hearts), Hong Kong director Mabel Cheung ( The Illegal Immigrant), and producer Paolo del Brocco.
The Beijing Film Market runs from Apr 19-21, with 190 exhibitors scheduled to participate, including 74 international participants.