Photo: Li Hao/GT

The 14th Beijing International Film Festival (BJIFF) has officially started after the opening ceremony was held at Beijing Yanqi Lake International Convention and Exhibition Center on Thursday.

With "Enlightened by Films, United as One" as the keywords, the opening ceremony began with a grand red carpet event featuring a dazzling display of over 200 celebrities, including director Peter Chan and iconic filmmaker Zhang Yimou. The 90-year-old veteran actor You Benchang and well-know actor Hu Ge, the protagonists of hit TV drama Blossoms Shanghai, also attended the opening ceremony.

According to Chinese ticketing platform Maoyan, China's 2024 box office has already exceeded 18.176 billion yuan ($1.82 billion), with YOLO, Article 20 and Pegasus 2 taking the top three spots in the highest-grossing film list. 

In terms of the participating films at the festival, 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.

This year, 15 films are competing for the Tiantan Award; 12 are foreign films and three are domestic films, according to the committee of the BJIFF.

David White, the Australian sound editor best known for winning Sound Editor Award at the 2016 Oscars and one of the jurors for the Tiantan Award Jury, told the Global Times on Thursday that this is the first time he has been to the BJIFF, and he is really looking forward to watching the films. 

"I'm looking forward to more co-productions between Australia and China," he said.

Roger Tredre, course leader of MA Fashion Communication at Central Saint Martins from the UK, told the Global Times on Thursday he was very impressed that the BJIFF has brought some fashion elements into the festival with a special competition for short fashion films.

The 14th Beijing International Film Festival has opened in Beijing on Thursday.Photo: Courtesy of the organiser

Media reports said that a fashion show from Bosideng infused with traditional Chinese culture as well as elements from films has held during the festival.

Tredre explained that fashion in China has evolved rapidly in recent years and there are many great designers and great brands coming out of China. The quality of communication is still a work in progress, so this is a real opportunity to encourage higher quality film making and to promote Chinese fashion.

Another highlight of the festival will be 18 classic films, including Prosperity Brought by the Dragon and the Phoenix, Qin Xianglian and Farewell My Concubine, as part of the "Peking Opera Film Project." 

Wang Xiangrong, deputy curator of the China National Film Museum, stated that the "Peking Opera Film Project" is of great significance in the current context of promoting fine traditional Chinese culture. 

"Peking opera films are a carrier for telling Chinese stories and spreading Chinese culture," he said.