Leading star Ekin Cheng poses in front of a poster for Huo Yuanjia in this file photo. The remake of the 1981 martial-arts television hit Huo Yuanjia will compete for awards at the first RomaFictionFest in July.

A remake of the 1981 martial-arts television hit Huo Yuanjia will represent China in competing for glory at the inaugural RomaFictionFest, to be opened on July 2 in Rome.

The new work, depicting martial-arts hero Huo Yuanjia, with renowned Hong Kong filmmaker Stanley Kwan as its art director, has been invited to the festival as the only Chinese contender, Tianjin Daily quoted one of the producers as saying.

The production, starring Hong Kong actors Ekin Cheng and Jordan Chan, will compete with several hundred TV productions from around the globe for several awards under the Serials category.

Ekin Cheng, who plays Huo Yuanjia, is also a promising candidate for best actor in the same category.

The RomaFictionFest, set to become an annual international event, will feature four sections, namely: TV Movies, Mini-series, Serials and Italian fiction.

It will run through to July 7.

(CRI.cn June 12, 2007)