What to watch at this year's Beijing International Film Festival

Indie and international favourites come to Beijing for this year's festival

The annual Beijing International Film Festival (BJIFF) kicks off this year on April 15, bringing the seven-day film extravaganza to the Chinese capital for the eighth time. While this year's film selection doesn't burst with much experiment – a fact not helped by the recent cancellation of critically-acclaimed gay romance Call Me by Your Name – it's still abundant in some fairly entertaining screenings that'll have you queuing up for tickets. Apart from the plethora of diverse Chinese movies, with all-time classics and loads of fresher entries hailing from all parts of the country, the Beijing International Film Festival still has plenty of heavyweight aces up its sleeve.

Wes Anderson showcase

There's hardly any discerning cinephiles out there that don't appreciate the sun-drenched pastel-coloured imagery of American director Wes Anderson. Fortunately, the organising committee of the BIFF is not an exception either, bringing as many as four of his films to Beijing’s screens, including his latest stop motion chef-d’œuvre, this year's Isle of Dogs. As the weather in Beijing begins to heat up, cool down with some of the chillest pieces of cinema ever made.

X-Men marathon

With the recent upsurge of superhero squad movies like Justice League and The Avengers, it seems like everyone's forgotten the real originators of the film genre, Marvel's übermensch crew the X-Men. For film snobs, X-Men may not exactly be a highbrow film series, however the BJIFF has always been particularly adept in screening films that are a mix of Hollywood blockbusters and arthouse favourites. The festival is set to showcase every single film from the X-Men series, starting from 2000's X-Men all the way to recent offerings Logan and Deadpool (though how much of the latter R-rated films will be censored is currently unclear). So stock up on as much popcorn as you possibly can – it's going to be a long day.

Jurassic Park marathon

Another major franchise advancing on Beijing in full force is Jurassic Park. The series started by cinema juggernaut Steven Spielberg has lived through a 14-year oblivion only to be restarted in 2015. And with the latest Jurassic World trilogy running all the way till 2021, it seems the freedom-loving dinosaurs are doing better than ever. The showcase will present the original duology directed by Spielberg, as well as the 2001 continuation and 2015's Jurassic World. This is definitely a great way to freshen up your memories of the gory franchise before the 2018 premiere of Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, the upcoming fifth instalment of the series.

Ingmar Bergman retrospective

Ingmar Bergman is a godlike figure in the world of cinema. He's not just a Swedish director anymore, his persona has no boundaries and neither does Persona, his 1966 enigmatic masterpiece. For those less familiar with is work, there are also plenty of other films that are similarly great like The Seventh Seal and Wild Strawberries, most of which will be screened as part of the BJIFF. This might be the best opportunity to catch Bergman's timeless classics on the big screen in Beijing.

Restored classics

Apart from Bergman, the festival also brings in a whole separate showcase of restored oldies with well-known titles like Hiroshima mon amour and The Third Man dominating the list. If you've ever wondered how those cinema staples would look in an actual cinema, this is a great opportunity to take a glance.

New films

The BIFF is a sheer colossus of a festival, merging together a broad array of cinema genres and catering to all kinds of tastes. You can rewatch Avatar and Titanic if you're in the mood, or catch new films like The Disaster Artist, On Chesil Beach and Get Out. Or you can even check out the best from Japanese, Czech and Chinese cinema. Whatever you're in the mood for, you're sure to find it.

For a more detailed list of films, hit 'Read more'.

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