The Chinese cinematic dragon

Time to enjoy some of the best Chinese films this weekend as India China Economic and Cultural Council (ICEC) in a collaboration with Ministry of Information and Broadcasting are organizing, Indiaare organising a ‘Chinese Film Festival’ in the Capital.

A wide genre of films like period dramas, action, adventure and contemporary movies will be screened from June 18 to 23 at Siri Fort Complex. 

Showcasing the acclaimed rich and diverse Chinese cinematic heritage for Indian the audience, the festival opened with Chinese Zodiac on Tuesday in the presence of the actor Jackie Chan, one of Asia’s most multifaceted stars and directors. Apart from Jackie, the delegation saw the participation of other distinguished Chinese actors and important members of the Chinese film fraternity.

“The festival is an attempt in bringing to Indian audiences the cinema of many an acclaimed Chinese director, who have been winning awards and making waves globally thanks to their films gaining respect. The festival offers a variety of films from alternative and contemporary, action and adventure, new age cinema to period dramas,” said a representative of the event.

“The state administration, press, publications, radio, film and television, and People’s Republic of China is instrumental in lending support and helping organise the festival,” the representative added.

Movies to be screened include Jet Li’s Ocean Heaven which revolves around the life of a devoted father who works in an aquarium and takes care of his autistic son. To send the message across, the actor took a break from his image of a martial arts expert and played a serious role. To get a sense of what autistic children go through, he even interacted with some children affected with the condition.

Other must-watch films include The Grandmasters from Wong Kar-Wai, internationally renowned as an auteur for its visually unique, highly stylised, and emotionally resonant cinema;  Back to 1942 by Feng Xiaogang, the Chinese film director who is a highly successful commercial filmmaker and whose comedic films do consistently well on the box office. He has also attempted to break out from that mould by making drama or period drama films recently.

Also to be screened is Caught in the Web by Chen Kaige. It is a story about a young woman embroiled in controversy after a cell phone video of her being disrespectful on a public bus to an elderly person goes viral. The aftermath affects her personal and professional life and brings her face to face with the video’s poster, an ambitious journalist.

The festival also offers some of the films based on real life incidents like Cableway Doctor by director Xianhe Lei. This is a true story about an ordinary doctor of 30 years. He risks his life by travelling by cableway between the mountain villages to treat people who needed his help.

The film schedule has been published on June 14/ Friday/Page 2 of Metrolife.