Beijing Film Panorama to screen 260 Chinese, international films

The “Beijing Film Panorama”, a flagship segment of the 16th Beijing International Film Festival, opened on Thursday in Beijing, offering audiences a diverse lineup of nearly 260 outstanding Chinese and international films.

This year’s selection includes titles nominated for the festival’s Tiantan Award, such as All The Good Eyes and At Work. About 800 screenings will be held at major commercial cinemas, art houses, and theaters across the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region in north China.

The panorama, which will run through April 26, features 18 screening units, including a Master Retrospective section, with many films being shown for the first time to Chinese audiences. Restored Chinese classics will return to the big screen, alongside 4K drama films such as Beneath the Red Banner and Zhang Juzheng, offering an immersive theatrical experience. Outdoor screenings will also be held in various commercial districts across Beijing.

“I’ve brought some of my printed ticket stubs and some merchandise I made myself. These are related to the films to be screened this year. I would like to exchange these items on site,” said Yao Shuai, a filmgoer at the China Film Archive.

“The most important goal of the Beijing Film Panorama is to foster a strong cinema culture and a culture of classic films. That’s why we’ve placed greater emphasis on classic films in our selection. Audiences have shown a real interest in high-format, high-concept content — many of those screenings sold out immediately. Overall, we’re seeing more ticket buyers in their 30s and 40s, and the number of younger viewers is also growing,” said Lin Siwei, deputy director of the China Film Archive.

Running from Thursday to April 25, this year’s film festival will feature 10 major sections, including film screenings, industry forums, and the Tiantan Award competition, which aims to encourage diversity in global filmmaking.

China will carry out intensive space missions in 2026, including close-in asteroid exploration, manned spaceflights, and flight tests of reusable rockets, a senior official with the China National Space Administration (CNSA) said on Friday.

China carried out 92 space launches in 2025, up 35 percent from the previous year, according to the CNSA.

Last year, China successfully launched the Tianwen-2 asteroid flyby and sampling mission, carried out four launch missions and two return missions for the manned space program, successfully conducted the first emergency space launch, and smoothly advanced the manned lunar landing project, the CNSA said.

In addition, China has actively promoted application of the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System in key areas and mass consumption, fully accelerated the building of its satellite internet, and carried out maiden flight tests of two types of reusable carrier rockets, namely the Zhuque-3 and the Long March-12A.

“”In 2026, the Tianwen-2 will approach its target asteroid for close-in exploration, the manned space program will carry out the Shenzhou-23 and other manned spaceflights, and multiple types of reusable rockets will undergo flight tests. The commercial space sector will ensure high-quality development with a high level of safety,” said Liu Yunfeng, deputy director of the CNSA’s system engineering department.

This year marks the 70th anniversary of the establishment of China’s space industry. This milestone will be celebrated alongside the 11th Space Day of China on April 24, with the primary event scheduled in Chengdu, southwest China’s Sichuan Province and with Brazil being the guest of honor.

Besides, China will hold the China Space Conference, activities to popularize aerospace science in schools, and technical exchange events to celebrate the anniversary.