The poster for the 14th Beijing International Film Festival is unveiled on March 28, 2024 in Beijing. Photo: Courtesy of the organizers

The 14th Beijing International Film Festival (BJIFF) is scheduled to be held from April 18 to 26, organizers announced at a news conference on Thursday.

Taking the theme "Enlightened by Films, United as One," the festival welcomes filmmakers and moviegoers worldwide to partake in an international cinematic extravaganza in Beijing.

The poster for the event was unveiled, which integrates the shape from the Temple of Heaven combined with the shape of pine and cypress bonsai trees and incorporates the style of traditional Chinese ink painting, thus embodying the festival's core values of harmony between man and nature and mutual sharing of beauty.

Xu Tao, executive deputy secretary general of the organizing committee, announced the judges and selected films for the festival's Tiantan Awards. 

The Awards jury will have seven members, with renowned Serbian director Emir Kusturica serving as chairman. 

The other six members are Australian sound editor David White, Chinese-American actor Kris Phillips, Austrian director Jessica Hausner, Brazilian director Carlos Saldanha, Chinese actress Ma Li and Chinese actor Zhu Yilong.

In terms of the participating films, a total of 4,273 films were submitted for this year's BJIFF, marking a new high. 

Among them, 1,509 feature films from 118 countries and regions were submitted for the feature film section. 

Among the final 15 selected films, 12 are foreign films and three are domestic films. They include French film A Real Job, Austrian/German film A Whole Life and Japanese film All the Long Nights.

The international jury for the Tiantan Awards will select films for 10 awards categories, including Best Feature Film, Best Director, Best Artistic Contribution, Best Leading Actor, and Best Music. The final results will be announced during the awards ceremony.

Huo Zhijing, a vice chairman and secretary general of the organizing committee, stated that the main feature of this year's festival is its emphasis on internationalism, which aims to create a high-end platform for China-foreign film exchanges.

One of the highlights includes inviting Brazil as the guest country of this year's BJIFF, in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Brazil. 

Additionally, representatives from major international film festivals such as the Toronto International Film Festival, the Tokyo International Film Festival, the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival and the Mar del Plata International Film Festival will also be present during the festival. 

Distributors from countries such as the US, France, the UK and Japan, as well as filmmakers from Poland, the Netherlands, Australia, Singapore and other countries, will also participate in the event.

The Beijing Film Panorama will feature more than 240 classic works, including Dr. Strangelove, Blade Runner 2049, Pulp Fiction, The Story of Qiu Ju and the Naruto series. 

One of the units will focus on classic French films to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and France.

Over the course of nine days, the 14th BJIFF will hold more than 100 activities, including the Tiantan Awards ceremony, red carpet events, film carnivals, forums and university student film festivals, offering a festive extravaganza for filmmakers, film enthusiasts and ordinary people to enjoy, the organizers noted.

The shortlisted movies for the Tiantan Awards in the 14th Beijing International Film Festival (BJIFF)  Photo: Courtesy of the organizers