The best of British film will be in the Beijing spotlight this month, with ten of the most popular recent classics and new releases screened at the British Film Festival.

The 10-day event will open on June 11 at the Star City cinema at Oriental Plaza, running until June 20.

The films include Calendar Girls, Gosford Park, Touching the Void, Last Orders and Wondrous Oblivion. These films are first being shown at the 7th Shanghai International Film Festival, which runs through June 13.

Special screenings for film industry professionals and students will also be held at the Beijing Film Academy.

The films, unlike the Hollywood productions that are commercially distributed around the world, are rarely found in China. But they are every bit as artistic and entertaining, said Colin Chinnery, Arts Manager with the Cultural and Education Section of the British Embassy.

"The American film industry is so big that we cannot avoid its influence on our film production," said Keith Davies, First Secretary of the section. "However, you can still identify a British film from an American film. We have our own styles of humor and sensitivity. Through the festival we hope to showcase some of our creative talents and to introduce Chinese moviegoers to the unique, original qualities of British cinema."

John Woodward, CEO of the UK Film Council, and Ben Gibson, director of the London Film School, will also attend the festival.

The event, co-organized by the Film Bureau of the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television, is part of an exchange program between China and the UK. A China film festival was held in the United Kingdom last October.

In conjunction with the festival, a multimedia exhibition by one of the top visionaries of the UK film industry, onedotzero, will be held at the Today Gallery in Haidian District.

Onedotzero is recognized internationally as a leader in the field of digital imaging and has exhibited as part of many international film festival programs.

This is the first time onedotzero has traveled to China. It will present an exhibition and screening of the latest digital and new-media motion pictures from the UK, including short films, digital animation, computer game concepts, music videos and advertising.

(Beijing Weekend June 7, 2004)