“Beijing Film Panorama” will be officially launched tomorrow; as a preview, there are already two classic works released today for the audience in the film archive in advance! One is An Autumn's Tale, a romantic film starring Yun-Fat Chow and Cherie Chung, and the other is Intentions of Murder by Japanese director Shohei Imamura.

 

As usual, fans arrived at the Xiaoxitian Film Archive in Beijing two hours before the film starts. There are fans in twos and threes, queuing to get tickets while talking about the ticket snapping-up results; there are also those who watch movies alone with a backpack. In the process of waiting, they also do not forget to check the next available tickets, and turn around each ticket group to look for tickets for their favorite movies. There were many people, but they were quiet and orderly.

 

Different to those of buying tickets to watch theatrical films, festival goers seem to prefer to arrive early and wait, as if on a pilgrimage. Waiting not only shows respect to the film, but also ferments their expectations for the film.

 

The first screening today is the classic Hong Kong romance film An Autumn's Tale. Many of the audience were fans of Hong Kong films or Yun-Fat Chow, and some even carried canvas bags with the picture of Yun-Fat Chow on them, fitting the occasion.

 

Fans come in a variety of styles, including college students who have just started school, office workers who rush here after work, and even young parents with children. The age range also ranges from young people in their twenties to grandmothers and grandfathers in their sixties and seventies with grey hair.

 

Many people even bring food and water, being well prepared to watch Intentions of Murder after that.

Due to the epidemic, this year's BJIFF has been postponed for more than a month. Many fans have expressed their concerns and worries about the festival before:

 

"I'm dying to wait”, "I'm afraid it will not b be held”, “I look forward to seeing a few good movies at the BJIFF all year round”, “It's not easy. It's got to be fun”... Fortunately, it is started finally as scheduled, and lives up to the fans' expectations for so long.

 

When being asked what film tickets have been snapped up for the Beijing Film Panorama, many fans on the scene have shared what they have got. Master works such as Ballad of Narayama and Mulholland Drive are the most popular and coveted films. Paranoia Agent, Rouge, and Portrait of a Lady on Fire are also popular.

 

One fan takes half a day off for the five-hour Paranoia Agent so he wouldn't miss the chance to see it on the big screen. Another two elderly sisters say they have bought many restored versions of old Chinese films. "I watched them in the countryside when I was young, and this time I come to revisit my youth memories.”

 

The movie hasn't even started yet, but the whispers are already activated. While listening to a neighbor talk about the films on display, a college-looking man flips through his book on film science and marks the pages of the films he wants to see. As students majoring in film, the film festival gives them a chance to get close to and watch classic films. "Watching the films of masters on the big screen shocks me and strengthens my determination to study film.”

 

On the first day of the film panorama, the air was filled with the joy of a long-lost reunion. Everyone came to Beijing from different places to participate in the BJIFF with the pure love for movies. In the next half month, "Beijing Film Panorama" will provide fans with more than 200 films in more than a dozen sections, letting everyone have fun in watching films. Life is a fairy tale in this golden autumn accompanied by movies.

 

In addition, there are also shooting titbits from Peng Yuchang's "Best Guide for Movie Watching.” The screening has just begun. For more highlights on stage and behind the scenes, please follow the Weibo and WeChat accounts of the “Beijing International Film Festival”.