PRODUCER-DIRECTOR Brett Ratner will head the competition jury of the sixth Beijing International Film Festival, set to run April 16-23 in the Chinese capital.

    “The Revenant,” which Ratner produced and co-financed via his RatPac-Dune Entertainment production company, is currently taking its final victory lap in the Chinese market, where it has grossed nearly US$60 million, far exceeding early expectations.

    Joining Ratner on the jury, which awards the festival’s Tiantan Awards across 10 categories, will be Hong Kong director Teddy Chan (“Bodyguards and Assassins”), German filmmaker Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck (“The Lives of Others”), Romanian helmer Corneliu Porumboiu (“The Treasure”), Japanese director Yojiro Takita (“Departures”), Bosnian filmmaker Danis Tanovic (“No Man’s Land”) and Chinese actress Xu Qing (“Mr. Six”).

    The fest will open with the premiere of “Beijing Meets Seattle II: Book of Love,” directed by Xue Xiaolu and starring Tang Wei and Wu Xiubo. According to the fest’s organizing committee, 15 out of 433 films from 42 countries and regions have been shortlisted this year for the main competition section. Spanish films “A Perfect Day” and “Tiempo Sin Aire” are on the shortlist, which is also shared by Canadian film “Grand Unified Theory,” “I Am a Teacher” from Russia, Polish “Klezmer,” Danish “Land of Mine” and contestants from Romania, Germany, Britain, Georgia, Argentina and China.

    The festival will also show 500 Chinese and foreign films, including “Star Wars” and “The Last Emperor 3D.” A total of 2,329 films from 105 countries applied for the Beijing Film Panorama section’s exhibition, of which 1,964 were foreign and 365 Chinese. Five hundred films were selected to be screened in 25 cinemas and five universities, with around 1,000 showings. The Beijing Film Panorama section in the festival will have 20 themed sections — including “mainstream focus,” “award-winning selections,” and “power of the writer.”

    Among the films to be screened will be many recently made world-class films, such as “Dheepan,” “Saul Fia,” “The Lobster,” “Death in Sarajevo,” and “600 Millas.” Other films include those restored by the China Film Archive and other institutions in recent years, including “Intolerance” and “Ivan Groznyy.”

    As for Chinese films, “Path of the Soul,” “Say Goodbye,” “Tharlo,” “Sentence Me Guilty,” “Moscow not Far Away,” “Beijing Carmen” and “Bujilan” will be shown, while special exhibitions will be held in commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the birth of film director Sang Hu.

    As previously announced, Natalie Portman will be the highest-profile Hollywood attendee at the event this year. The actress will attend the red-carpet opening ceremony April 17, followed by her participation in a forum on co-producing films in China and a special screening of her directorial debut, “A Tale of Love and Darkness,” at the China Film Archive.

    Portman has had an avid following in China since her first appearance as an actress in Luc Besson’s “Leon: The Professional” (1994), which enjoys cult status across much of Asia. Her Oscar-winning performance in 2010’s “Black Swan” is also a fan favorite in China, although the film wasn’t released here theatrically.

    “A Tale of Love and Darkness” is based on the autobiographical novel of the same name by Israeli author Amos Oz. The film was shot in Jerusalem and is told entirely in Hebrew, with Portman both starring and directing. It was premiered at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival.

    Portman previously attended the Shanghai International Film Festival in 2014. She has regularly expressed interest in working with Chinese directors, but has yet to shoot in the country. The actress is currently shooting “Jackie,” a biopic about former first lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, directed by Pablo Larrain.

    (SD-Agencies)