The 16th Beijing International Film Festival (BJIFF) will take place from April 16 to 25, themed "Tiantan Embraces Hundred Flowers, Radiance of Cinema Illuminates Beijing".

This year, for the first time, the BJIFF and the ceremony of the Hundred Flowers Awards will come together in Beijing, making the city the only one in China to host these two major film festivals within a single year.

This year's BJIFF will further upgrade the Beijing Film & Life Festival to expand the latter's reach and influence. Specifically, numerous "Super Live Spots" will be introduced at several key business districts in the city. Other scheduled sub-events include "Tasting Delicacies Through Movies", "Follow the Movies to Travel", and "Explore Markets with Films", all to be held at the same time across Beijing.

The festival will host 10 major sub-events, including the main competition for the Tiantan Award, the opening ceremony, the Beijing Film Panorama, the core forums, the Beijing Film Market, the Film Carnival, the 33rd College Student Film Festival, and the closing and award ceremony.

A total of 1,826 films from 139 countries and regions have been submitted for this year's Tiantan Award, including 1,607 international films, which account for 88 percent of all submissions. The first batch of shortlisted films for the Tiantan Award has already been announced, featuring 12 films in total, comprising four Chinese films and eight international films.

(Source: CRI Online)