娱乐英语新闻:Beijing Int'l Film Festival to screen 500 movies

BEIJING, March 29 (Xinhua) -- Around 500 films will be put on screen during the sixth Beijing International Film Festival (BJIFF), which will open on April 16.

A total of 2,329 films from 105 countries and regions have registered to take part in the screenings and award ceremony, with 1,964 foreign films and 365 produced in China.

A total of 500 films have been picked for audiences in Beijing, where about 1,000 showings will be launched in 25 cinemas and five universities. A preview of this year's film selection will begin on April 8 and showings will last until the last day of the festival on the 23.

This year's selections feature 20 themes including "China story," "window to Asia," "power of writing" and "maiden works."

Last year, more than 300 films were screened during the fifth BJIFF, which generated over 13.8 billion yuan (about 2.2 billion U.S. dollars) in contracts.