Beijing International Film Festival Set to Feature Special Russian Cinema Section

MOSCOW -- In a historic first, Russia is set to launch an actor and a film director into space to make a feature film in orbit — a project the nation's space chief has hailed as a chance to raise the prestige of Russia's space program.Actor Yulia Peresild and director Klim Shipenko are set to blast off Tuesday for the International Space Station in a Russian Soyuz spacecraft together with cosmonaut Anton Shkaplerov, a veteran of three space missions.

It’s almost here! The 2022 Beijing Olympics are set to begin in February, just six months after the Tokyo Games concluded.

UPDATE: Chinese citizens will be the only ones permitted to buy tickets to the upcoming Winter Olympics, according to a ruling today by the International Olympic Committee.

Selome Hailu editorAnimation is Film announced the competition lineup and other special events for the fourth edition of the festival, which will take place from Oct. 22-24 at the TCL Chinese Theatres in Hollywood.

All athletes must be vaccinated against Covid-19 to participate in the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee announced Wednesday.

Rebecca Davis editorFollowing a dismal summer, China’s box office over this year’s three-day Mid-Autumn Festival holiday hit its lowest point since 2014.Chinese citizens had to work on Saturday, Sept. 18, but enjoyed a three-day vacation for the holiday from Sept.

Rebecca Davis editorA battalion of producers and stars worked the opening night red carpet of the Beijiing Intl. Film Festival Tuesday for the world premiere of their mammoth Chinese war film “The Battle of Changjin Lake,” which is expected to rank amongst China’s highest grossing films of the year.The nearly three-hour-long historical epic is a grind through the blood, sweat and tears of the real-life People’s Volunteer Army as they fight against all odds to defeat the U.S.

Rebecca Davis editorFollowing a string of celebrity scandals, Chinese officials have told young filmmakers entering China’s top film school that their foremost task is to develop the “moral cultivation” necessary to further China’s rise in the world.The Beijing Film Academy, cradle of the country’s top filmmaking talent, last week opened a major new campus in the capital’s northern Huairou district, an hour’s drive outside the urban center.

Rebecca Davis editorThe Universal Beijing Resort finally had its grand opening Monday, the culmination of a 20-year wait and further pandemic-related delays.The park has proved a big hit with Chinese consumers so far. Tickets for Monday’s opening were sold out in minutes, quickly followed by tickets for the week-long National Day holiday coming up on Oct.

coronavirus outbreaks in China’s southeast that prompted the government to tighten travel controls in some areas.“We’ve been longing for the opening for quite a while,” said a visitor, Niu Haoxuan.Visitors were required to wear masks and display a smartphone-based health code that shows whether they have been to regions deemed at high-risk of infection.After a report of a possible case in Beijing last week, “we were very worried,” said Zoe Shi. “We thought about whether we should still go.

Rebecca Davis editorAfter months with few significant new Hollywood releases, both “Dune” and ‘No Time to Die’ finalized their China opening dates on Sunday, officially confirming their outing in the world’s largest film market at a time when other major studio titles have been given the cold shoulder.The two films will hit in successive October weekends. “Dune” will land on Oct.

Warner Bros’ King Richard, the Will Smith-starring drama about Serena and Venus Williams’ father and how he raised a pair of tennis champions, will close AFI Fest this fall. Organizer American Film Institute said Wednesday that the pic, which world premiered earlier this month at the Telluride Film Festival, will wrap up the annual fest November 14 at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood.

Pat Saperstein Deputy EditorWill Smith starrer “King Richard” will close the AFI Fest on Nov. 14 at the TCL Chinese Theatre, the American Film Institute announced Wednesday.Directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green, the film follows Richard Williams, the father of Venus and Serena Williams, and his life raising the champion athletes.

Refresh for latest…: Disney/Marvel’s Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings handily crossed the $250M mark globally this weekend, seeing a very good 34% drop at the international box office and maintaining No. 1s in such key markets as Australia, Brazil, France, Germany, Korea, Italy, Mexico, Russia, Spain and the UK.

Rebecca Davis editorLou Ye’s embattled 2019 film “Saturday Fiction” will have a theatrical outing in the Chinese auteur’s home country nearly two years after its planned high-profile premiere there was abruptly cancelled.After its long time in the dark, the black-and-white drama will return triumphantly to the official limelight as the closing film of the Beijing Intl. Film Festival on Sept.

Christopher Vourlias Russian production and distribution powerhouse Central Partnership has unveiled a slate of upcoming releases at the Toronto International Film Festival, which Variety can reveal exclusively.Among the films they’ll be introducing to foreign buyers are the latest blockbuster from Sergey Mokritskiy, whose 2015 WWII epic “Battle of Sevastopol” sold worldwide after conquering the Russian box office; an actioner based on a true story of heroism during the Syrian War; and a

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefChina’s “One Second,” South Korea’s “The Book of Fish,” India’s “The Disciple,” and two Japanese films, “Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy” and “Wife of a Spy” will compete for this year’s best film prize at the Asian Film AwardsThe awards again will be held again in conjunction with the Busan International Film Festival. The ceremony, on Oct.

Olympics in Beijing. The Winter Games are scheduled to open on Feb.