The 13th Beijing International Film Festival kicked off in the northern suburbs on Friday, with more than 200 celebrities, including iconic director Zhang Yimou, the jury president of the Tiantan Award, gathering for the opening ceremony at Beijing Yanqi Lake International Convention & Exhibition Center.

With "spring scenery and new journey" as the keywords, the opening ceremony began with a grand red carpet event featuring a dazzling display of celebrities.

Zhang, making his debut as the jury president at a domestic film festival, said that he hopes to recommend excellent films to the audience along with the other judges.

According to Beacon, the live box office tracker, China's 2023 box office has exceeded 17.5 billion yuan ($2.54 billion), with Zhang's historical suspense film Full River Red being the highest grossing, accounting for a quarter of the total takings.

This year, 15 films are competing for the Tiantan Award, chosen from a record 1,488 films from 93 countries and regions. Winners of the award's 10 categories will be announced at the festival's closing ceremony on April 29.

Beijing 2022, the official documentary about the Winter Olympics by director Lu Chuan, is the festival's opening film.

It was in production for more than two and a half years, with Lu and his team shooting the film in various locations around the globe.

He said that it showcases the stories and shining moments of international athletes, Olympic staff, building workers, technicians, volunteers, medical personnel and officials, as well as performers at the opening and closing ceremonies.

Hong Kong director Peter Chan, who is also the president of the festival's Final Jury for Project Pitches, said that he hopes to find new and emerging scriptwriters and directors this year.

Emphasizing cultural exchanges, this year's event is collaborating with the Hong Kong Asian Film Financing Forum for the first time, aiming to encourage young filmmakers from Hong Kong to participate in and promote the joint development of the Hong Kong and mainland film markets.

The festival will showcase over 180 outstanding Chinese and foreign movies, a substantial increase of 38 percent compared with approximately 130 titles last year.

Ticket presales were launched online earlier this week, with the three most popular movies — A City of Sadness (1989), A Moment of Romance (1990), and 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) — selling out in six, eight and nine seconds, respectively.

Sha Dan, the organizer of the festival's screening section, said that the overwhelming enthusiasm of movie fans sends a positive signal that the industry is returning to its pre-pandemic prosperity.

Sha added that this year's festival is being held again in the spring after being postponed to August in 2020 due to the pandemic and subsequently taking place in the summer during the next two years.

With the 74th Berlin International Film Festival concluding in late February, movie fans in the Chinese capital had a shorter wait to see some of its award-winning films at the Beijing festival, such as the Golden Bear winner On the Adamant, added Sha.