A poster for Twelfth Night Photo: Xu Liuliu/GT

The first Wanda Shakespeare on Screen Festival kicked off in Beijing on Thursday. 

The festival, organized by companies All The Way and Wanda Film, will screen 10 pre-recorded UK theater works based on Shakespeare's plays, including King Lear, starring veteran actor Ian McKellen and produced by the Chichester Festival Theatre; Hamlet, directed by Lyndsey Turner and starring Benedict Cumberbatch; and a ballet version of Romeo and Juliet. 

The festival is part of All The Way's bigger project, New Live, which aims to bring the traditional theater experience to cinemas. 

Ralph Rogers from the British Council, a strong supporter of the project, noted that over the last five years, more than 400,000 Chinese have watched recorded UK theater works staged by renowned performers including Benedict Cumberbatch and Tom Hiddleston in Chinese cinemas.

After ending its tour to cities like Shanghai and Wuhan in September, the films will be made available on streaming platforms such as Tencent Video and iQiyi.