21 Peking Opera films screening at Beijing Intl Film Festival

A record 21 Peking Opera films from the Peking Opera Film Project are being screened during the 15th Beijing International Film Festival, with two new productions having premiered Monday.

Ren Yue, deputy general manager of China Film Co., Ltd., speaks at a launch event for the Peking Opera films screening segment of the 15th Beijing International Film Festival and the premiere of two new films at the China National Film Museum in Beijing, April 21, 2025. [Photo courtesy of China Film Co., Ltd.]

The new films, "All Red is the River" and "Xue Pinggui and Wang Baochuan," both directed by Xiao Feng, represent the latest cinematic efforts to preserve and showcase Peking Opera, one of China's most celebrated traditional performing arts.

The Peking Opera Film Project, founded in 2011, has backing from the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, provincial and municipal publicity departments, and industry stakeholders. China Film Co., Ltd. and other companies have committed substantial resources to producing and promoting these films with notable success.

"We have established extensive and diverse promotional channels for Peking Opera films, actively collaborating with various ministries and departments and focusing on grassroots cultural initiatives to bring these films to wider audiences," Ren Yue, deputy general manager of China Film Co., Ltd., said at a launch event at the China National Film Museum in Beijing on Monday.

Ren revealed that China Film Co. will use its distribution network to launch a nationwide long-term screening campaign for Peking Opera films beginning in late April, involving its 119 company-invested cinemas.

"We will spare no effort to ensure more people can see Peking Opera films, writing a contemporary response to the creative transformation and innovative development of outstanding traditional Chinese culture," she said.

According to Ren, China Film Co. consistently prioritizes authentic Peking Opera performances while using film as a medium. The company strives to preserve traditional theatrical elements while employing modern cinematography to make the art form more accessible to today's audiences.

Cast, crew, officials and guests gather at the China National Film Museum for the launch of Peking Opera film screenings during the 15th Beijing International Film Festival, April 21, 2025. [Photo courtesy of China Film Co., Ltd.]

Since the project began in 2011, the shift from stage to screen and from in-person to digital formats has introduced opera characters to wider audiences, said Qin Yan, director of the Jingju Theater Company of Beijing, one of China's top Peking Opera troupes.

Wang Yong, president of the China National Peking Opera Company, said at the event that future efforts will deepen collaboration with filmmakers while embracing digital technologies to develop a more modern and internationally accessible form of Peking Opera.

This year marks the 120th anniversary of Chinese cinema, which began with the 1905 Peking Opera film "The Battle of Dingjunshan." From these origins to today's technologically enhanced productions, the integration of Peking Opera and film has helped preserve and modernize this cultural tradition.

The China National Film Museum is currently preparing to digitize its Peking Opera Film Project exhibition, said Huang Xiaowei, the museum's director. The initiative aims to create new platforms for sharing and preserving the art form.

Filmmakers and officials attend the premieres of "All Red is the River" (top) and "Xue Pinggui and Wang Baochuan" (bottom) at the China National Film Museum in Beijing, April 21, 2025. [Photo courtesy of China Film Co., Ltd.]

Twenty-one Peking Opera films created over the years are being screened during the festival, with 10 of them showing at Daguanlou Cinema in Beijing. The venue, China's oldest cinema and known as the "birthplace of Chinese cinema," is where "The Battle of Dingjunshan" premiered in 1905. After the festival, Daguanlou and Capital cinemas plan to continue screening all 21 films from the Peking Opera Film Project.