Promotional material of the official documentary film of the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games Photo: Courtesy of the Beijing Organising Committee for the 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games

The official documentary film of the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games will release soon to mark the first anniversary of the unprecedented winter sports feast in China, said the Beijing 2022 organizing committee in press release sent to the Global Times on Saturday.

With Lu Chuan as the director and veteran director Zhang Yimou as the executive producer, the film captures the defining moments of the 2022 Beijing Winter Games, including the unforgettable evening of February 4, 2022, when fireworks lit up the sky of the dual Olympic city for the opening ceremony. Over the next 16 days, Chinese people, along with people from around the world, witnessed a spectacular event that will go down in history.

According to Lu, shooting on the film has been underway as early as 2020. During the three-year shoot, the cast and crew highlighted the stories of athletes from different countries and regions who constantly challenged themselves to pursue their Olympic dreams. The film also documents how all parties came together under pressure to successfully host the Winter Olympics during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"We had over 700 hours of footage in multiple locations around the world. We encountered many difficulties, but were always inspired and encouraged by the Olympic spirit seen in the people we filmed. I hope the stories we filmed and the faces we recorded in the film can make a deep impression on audiences about the glorious time of the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games," he said.

According to Olympic Charter, the International Olympic Committee requires the host city of each Olympic Games and Winter Olympic Games to produce an Olympic documentary film. This is Beijing's second official film about the Games after The Everlasting Flame Beijing 2008, the 29th official film for the Games. 

Since the early 20th century, films have been created for every edition of the Olympic Games. Throughout the decades, accomplished international filmmakers have been inspired by the Games to push the boundaries of Olympic documentaries - establishing a tradition and creating powerful cinema as part of the Olympic Games' cultural legacy.

Currently, the Olympic Film Collection comprises more than 40 feature-length films that offer a cinematic window onto the defining moments in the history of the modern Games - serving as precious historical archives and cultural treasures of the Olympic Movement, and vividly illustrating the Olympic Motto of "Faster, Higher, Stronger - Together."