Film fest gives Beijing more cultural capital

 　　BEIJING, April 28 (Xinhua) -- The second Beijing International Film Festival concluded on Sunday, with industry insiders hoping that the festival will create a new global perception of Beijing and the Chinese film industry.

　　As the birthplace of China's first film "Mount Dingjun" and home to many of the top names in the domestic film industry, Beijing has used the festival as an opportunity to share the country's film industry with the world and turn itself into a globally significant cultural capital.

　　"China needs a platform like the film festival to increase the power of its film industry and spread its culture,' said Li Qiankuan, director and chairman of the China Film Association.

　　Contracts signed at this year's festival amounted to 5.2 billion yuan (837 million U.S. dollars) in value, an 88.7-percent year-on-year increase. The amount is greater than the value of the contracts signed at any film festival in the country's history.

　　Representatives from 600 film institutions and more than 2,000 film professionals, including legendary¹ director James Cameron, attended the festival.

　　"The festival will prove to be a milestone² in the history of Chinese film development," Cameron said.

　　The festival received a great deal of support from the municipal government of Beijing as well. The country's leaders have made efforts to encourage the development of the country's cultural industry, as it is expected to become a pillar of the Chinese economy over the next five years.

　　"Film is the best carrier of culture. Chinese culture could be diffused³ through the process of communicating and colliding between different cultures," said Yu Dan, a professor at Beijing Normal University.

　　"The film festival should combine the country's cultural and historical essence. Unique ethnic⁴, regional and cultural characteristics will help it survive and thrive," said Zhang Huijun, president of the Beijing Film Academy.

　　Next year's festival will feature a competitive component⁵, as such competitions are part of international custom and the "soul" of a film festival, Li said.

　　John Textor, chairman of U.S. special effects company Digital Domain⁶, said he was impressed by the festival, adding that he wishes to introduce his company's technology to the Chinese market.

　　The development of Beijing's film industry is good news for world filmmakers, Cameron said. The director said he is working to forge relations with more Chinese filmmakers.

　　The festival will become an increasingly important event in the global movie industry and Beijing is likely to become a world-class film center in its own right, he said.

1 legendary   

adj.传奇（中）的，闻名遐迩的；n.传奇（文学）

参考例句：

• Legendary stories are passed down from parents to children.传奇故事是由父母传给孩子们的。
• Odysseus was a legendary Greek hero.奥狄修斯是传说中的希腊英雄。

2 milestone   

n.里程碑；划时代的事件

参考例句：

• The film proved to be a milestone in the history of cinema.事实证明这部影片是电影史上的一个里程碑。
• I think this is a very important milestone in the relations between our two countries.我认为这是我们两国关系中一个十分重要的里程碑。

3 diffused   

散布的，普及的，扩散的

参考例句：

• A drop of milk diffused in the water. 一滴牛奶在水中扩散开来。
• Gases and liquids diffused. 气体和液体慢慢混合了。

4 ethnic   

adj.人种的，种族的，异教徒的

参考例句：

• This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏，这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
• The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。

5 component   

n.组成部分，成分，元件；adj.组成的，合成的

参考例句：

• Each component is carefully checked before assembly.每个零件在装配前都经过仔细检查。
• Blade and handle are the component parts of a knife.刀身和刀柄是一把刀的组成部分。

6 domain   

n.(活动等)领域，范围；领地，势力范围

参考例句：

• This information should be in the public domain.这一消息应该为公众所知。
• This question comes into the domain of philosophy.这一问题属于哲学范畴。