"Spring, come to Beijing to watch the best films from around the world" is an annual gathering between the "Beijing Film Panorama" of the Beijing International Film Festival and movie fans. An intense showcase across 30 theaters, 58 screens and 15 days, the "Beijing Film Panorama" segment of the Beijing International Film Festival will once again bring about an unparalleled film fest for movie fans.

　　This year's "Beijing Film Panorama" is divided into 16 main segments. In order to salute to New China and celebrate the 70th anniversary of the founding of New China, we specially planned the "Celebrating The 70th Anniversary of the Founding of People's Republic of China" Panorama Special, which consists of the two sub-segments of " Flourishing Times " and " China through the Lens ". The " Flourishing Times " segment selects a number of scenes from the silver screen that have captured the monumental changes in New China since its inception 70 years ago; the " China through the Lens " segment takes on the perspective of oriental aesthetic traditions, puts "Chinese stories" rich in ethnic qualities onto the silver screen and highlights the artistic charisma of Chinese cinema. Striding into the new era, as Chinese cinema emerges as an instrumental force in the world film market under the backdrop of climbing from a "plateau" to the "pinnacle," we traverse time, region and language, the theme "1939 1959 2019: Adventure of Great Cinematic Times " has been used for the design of another Panorama Special. Its three sub-segments of "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood," "New Wave Echos" and "Chinese Perspective" will connect three momentous eras in film history, select precious treasures in the history of movies, pay tribute to preeminent artists, and ultimately conclude with the power of the most robust and vibrant Chinese films.

　　With the theme "cross-boundary," this year's "Focus" segment will focus on Alfonso Cuarón, contemporary Taiwanese cinema guru Tsai Ming-liang, and Joseon director Zhang Lü. Three directors of distinct styles, they will employ different "cross-boundary" methods to show us three different definitions of a "good movie". The "Animation" segment will place special emphasis on Japanese anime sage Mamoru Hosoda, and his masterpieces will be combined to form the "Atlas of Mamoru Hosoda," which will join the other sub-segment "Animation IS Film" to form the biggest "Animation" segment in the history of the "Beijing Film Panorama". Numerous new premieres, numerous artistic styles and numerous subject matters will jointly illustrate the colorful contents of animated films. Another record-breaker is the "Documentary" segment comprised of " Reality Rocks " and "Document Segment," which will include distinguished documentaries from around the world in recent years that will surely stimulate viewers to reconsider what is "truth".

　　In the "Tribute" segment, "Akira Kurosawa" not only incorporates a plethora of classics created by Kurosawa, but more importantly many examples of the mutual influences between eastern and western filmmakers have been included to fully shine light upon the unique values in both eastern and western cultures contributed by this preeminent Japanese filmmaker; the "Legend of Louis Cha" segment will utilize adaptations of the works of the venerated author as well as silver screen productions in the 1950s with scripts written by Louis Cha himself to express the endless reminiscence for the writer and the wuxia universe that he created. In addition, many great masters and great productions will be exhibited in all their glories in the "Screen Remembers" and "Restored Classics" segments.

　　The "Belt and Road" segment uses "Light of Silk Road," "Beyond Bollywood," "Japanese Film Week," "Indonesian Cinema Today" and " Dutch Children’s Films " to demonstrate the cultural and natural landscapes of nations on the Belt and Road and to foster connection between people of different nations. Other than a geographic perspective, the " Vision" segment will take a look at the world and employ the multiple viewpoints of "Chinese Influence," "Masters," "Auteurs," "Fresh Beats" and "Kaleidoscope" to present the many breakthroughs and developments in worldwide cinema, while the "Wide Angle" within the "Vision" intends to pinpoint the unique position of Chinese movies in the world of films. In the "Chinese Stories" segment, we have assembled a group of the latest made-in-China hits to spark discussions about how contemporary Chinese filmmakers aptly tell their "Chinese stories".

　　Within the "Carnival" segment are a quartet of sub-segments, namely "Blockbusters," "Disney Princesses, "Midnight" and "Theatre Live," and they will team up with the "Virtual Reality" and "Tech-Spectacles" sub-segments to continue an exploration of the special properties of film as a visual and audio medium, with the goal of bringing about a more diversified and more interesting movie-viewing experience for audiences with different tastes and preferences. "Premieres" will gather upcoming debuts from around the world to bring the forefront of tomorrow's movies to the BJIFF today.

　　The curtains have parted for the "Beijing Film Panorama" of the 9th Beijing International Film Festival, please join us in this annual April meeting for film lovers.