Pingyao, the UNESCO World Heritage Site, will witness another big cultural event in the form of the Pingyao Film Festival which will open in October, according to a press conference held in Beijing on March 16.

The film festival is called "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon", after Ang Lee's movie of the same name. Two parts in the event, namely "New Directors" and "Genre Highlights", are named after this, indicating that the event will be a professional platform for outstanding filmmakers and films. There are another four parts included, such as a gala and a review for a film exhibition.

The festival will be held from October 19 to 26, and will mainly exhibit movies not produced by Western countries, to further communication and cooperation among filmmakers in China and other developing countries.

"I have been telling Shanxi and Chinese stories through my movies since I was 27 and bringing them to film festivals around the world," said Jia Zhangke, a famous Chinese film director and initiator of the event.

"I used to dream of hosting an international film event in my hometown, depicting our culture and daily life, and now I have realized my dream," he added.

To make the event more professional, world-famous film producers like Marie Pierre Duhamel from France have been recruited to choose around 40 films for audiences and attendees of the Pingyao film festival.

"Although the number of films being shown during the film festival is not that large, each film will be unique and impressive thanks to our careful selection," said Marco Muller, an Italian movie critic and the art director of the film festival.

Most of the films chosen for the show will have their Asian or Chinese premieres during the event. Art exhibitions, film forums, lectures and seminars will also be held to coincide with the film exhibition.

Guests attend the press conference of Pingyao International Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon Film Festival in Beijing on March 16. [Photo/Xinhua]