HOLLYWOOD’S love affair with China — or at least the business opportunities — will be on full display in Beijing this week, as major U.S. studios descend on the Chinese capital to shop projects, sign agreements and show films during the film market at Beijing’s third annual international film festival, which began its eight-day run Tuesday.

    Following in the footsteps of James Cameron — who last year attended the Beijing International Film Festival’s opening ceremony and then participated in an industry panel at the Beijing Film Market — Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy will be delivering a keynote speech about “Modern Storytelling: Where Creativity Meets Innovation” during the Sino-Foreign Film Co-production Forum on Sunday.

    Kennedy will also be signing a “big co-operation agreement” with a Chinese technological company, according to Helen Chen, the managing director of the Beijing Film Market, which runs from April 20 to 22.

    Meanwhile, Keanu Reeves will unveil the trailer of his U.S.-China co-production, “Man of Tai Chi,” at a press conference during the market Saturday. The film was shot mostly on location in China, with dialogue in Cantonese, Mandarin and English, and features Reeves (as the villain) opposite Tiger Hu Chen in the lead role, as well as Hong Kong actress Karen Mok and Indonesian martial arts star Iko Uwais (“The Raid”).

    Among the other big Hollywood-related events at the festival are a Paramount-initiated press conference Thursday with a focus on Chinese characters in the next installment of the “Transformers” franchise, and also upcoming local auditions for these parts.

    Jean-Jacques Annaud and Wolfgang Petersen will also both be signing agreements for their latest co-production projects Saturday.

    Helen Chen said the convergence of American heavyweights at the event is proof of the importance of China as a player in international cinema. “The most important reason for this is that the Chinese film market is becoming larger and larger,” she said, referring to the much-quoted report last month crowning China as the second-biggest film market in the world.

    Chen and her team have set the bar of expectations high this year: Noting participation of 200 companies — a 30-percent increase from last year, according to official figures — Beijing Film Market organizers predict US$1.3 billion worth of contracts will be signed at the event.

    Chen also said the film market has proved to be attractive to international visitors because of the increase in room for more variety in the country as a whole. “After three years, the Chinese film market has become more open,” she said.

    The star-studded closing ceremony will take place April 23, with British singer Sarah Brightman slated for a performance and along with an appearance of the cast of “Iron Man 3,” according to an announcement from the festival organizers.

    In between, 260 films will be shown in 30 cinemas across the city — including the screening of the complete Harry Potter franchise — and a carnival will be held in Olympic Park, where production artefacts from Hollywood hits such as “Avatar,” “Lord of the Rings” and “King Kong” will be displayed. Robert Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark will have a whole zone dedicated to himself – part of the “Iron Man 3” publicity blitz underway prior to the film’s release in China later this month.

    The festival will give out 10 Tiantan Awards, including prizes for the best film, director, actor and actress. Among the 15 nominated films are two Chinese productions: Feng Xiaogang’s disaster epic “Back to 1942,” and Wang Jing’s emotional drama “Feng Shui.” Mike Newell’s “Great Expectations” and Carlos Sorin’s “Gone Fishing” have also been shortlisted for the awards.

    (SD-Agencies)