Chinese movie festival celebrates PRC 60th anniversary

"March on! March on! March on, on!," a series of activities to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the founding of People's Republic China, starts in the China National Film Museum on July 31, 2009. The name of the event was inspired by the final line of the Chinese national anthem. In the next four months, audiences will be able to watch about 200 movies produced by China's four major film studios over the past sixty years, as well as many posters and still photographs. They will also have the opportunity to talk with directors and actors. The four studios whose films will be featured are Shanghai Film Studio, August First Film Studio, Changchun Film Studio and China Film Group Co.. The first three were set up shortly after the founding of PRC, and the last one was formed in February 1992 by eight film studios and companies. The movies will cover all periods in China's history and reflect the development of Chinese film industry. At least two movies will be shown every day. The admission price is just 2 yuan (US$0.29), and some movies are free. The museum is also staging three exhibitions: one traces the history and achievements of the four major studios and the other two will display still photographs and vintage movie posters. The opening ceremony was attended by senior managers from the four studios, well-known actors and actress such as Tian Hua (heroine of the 1950s film “The White Haired Girl”) and Liu Shilong (hero of the 1960s film “Heroic Sons and Daughters”), officials from the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television (SARFT), and an audience of about 200 people of all ages. "It's a great event,"69-year-old former Beijing Opera performer Ma Xiaofang told China.org.cn, "I am a member of the museum and come here to watch movies at least 5 times a month. I really love to watch these old films that I had no time to enjoy when I was young. I plan to bring my granddaughter here this summer so she can experience the art of film."The China National Film Museum was co-founded by SARFT and the Beijing municipal government, and opened to public in 2007. It is the biggest national film museum in the world. There are 20 exhibition halls showing 100 years of Chinese film history and the development of camera technology. It also has an IMAX cinema, a digital cinema and three conventional cinemas. Besides showing the latest releases, the museum also gives audiences the opportunity to experience the charm of old films with daily screenings at very low prices. The museum also regularly invites celebrities from the film world to give talks. (China.org.cn by Ren Zhongxi, August 3, 2009)