Beijing International Film Festival Holds Promotion Conference on Toronto International Film Festival

　　On September 9, 2014, the 6th day of the 39th Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), Beijing International Film Festival (BJIFF) held high-profile promotion conference in Toronto. World-renowned directors, producers, filmmakers and executives of movie studios across continents including Cameron Bailey, Artistic Director of TIFF, Wang Xiaoshuai, Ning Hao film director (real-time updates) attended the event.

　　Wang Liping, Deputy Secretary General of the Organizing Committee of the BJIFF, while recognizing the pronounced achievements of the 4th BJIFF, presented outlook for the 5th BJIFF. He extended invitation to filmmakers worldwide to gather in Beijing next April, and staked the hope that movie production resources will be pooled together and a demonstration and trading platform built through BJIFF.

　　In his speech, Mr. Wang summarized BJIFF development and accomplishments of BJIFF and reviewed the spectacle of the 4th BJIFF held in April, this year. According to the numbers that he provided on the conference, the 4th BJIFF attracted over 3,000 guests from more than 1,000 Chinese and foreign film institutions, 1,244 registered reporters from 239 domestic media agencies and 66 overseas media outlets covering the event, and over a million people who directly participated in all sorts of activities. 837 films from 88 countries and regions across 6 continents registered with the 4th BJIFF to compete for the Tiantan Awards, and 15 films from 15 countries were nominated for the coveted Tiantan Awards; 1520 entrants from 79 countries registered Beijing Film Panorama, as 33 movie theaters across Beijing held over 600 screenings for 260 films from 48 countries and regions; nearly 70 activities such as cast & crew meeting with press and new release press conference took place on the 4th edition of BJIFF; this year’s Beijing Film Market attracted 724 movie studios, production companies and institutions from 24 countries and regions, as the total value of signed contract reached 10521 million yuan encompassing all segments of movie industry. Over 500 world-renowned movie stars, directors and celebrities from all walks of life such as John Woo, Jean Reno, Alfonso Cuarón, Oliver Stone, Zhang Yimou, Zhang Ziyi, Fan Bingbing, Adrien Brody, Rob Minkoff, Huang Xiaoming and Song Hye-kyo attended major activities of the 4th BJIFF. With the joint efforts, the 4th BJIFF ended up as a giant stage on which films of different genres and styles competed for the spotlight, world cultural-diversity blossomed, different thoughts underwent deep interaction, business collaboration flourished and the level of public participation reached a new height. BJIFF has marched steadily toward a signature global film festival and world-class cultural brand.

　　Ready to start, extensive invitation

　　Mr. Wang also disclosed that preparations for the 5th BJIFF: Solicitation for entrants to Competition Section and Beijing Film Panorama has been underway. The promotion held in Toronto was to issue invitation to filmmakers around the world to gather in Beijing next April. As the core activity of BJIFF, the Organizing Committee will highlight “Beauty in Variety, Harmony in Diversity” core value during the selection of the winners for Competition Section Tiantan Award, and follow the prime standard to select in fairness films with global influence in cinematography. The selection process will bring together masterpieces of world cinema, showcase global perspective, underline the touch of humanities and accentuate inclusiveness and harmony in diversity, as the ultimate goal is to make Tiantan Award the soul of BJIFF and essential element of enhancing influence. A total of 837 films from 88 countries and regions registered with the 4th BJIFF to compete for the Tiantan Awards, and after rigorous work by the selection committee, 15 films from 15 countries were nominated.