Olympic-themed Movie Opens Annual French Film Fest in China

With the Beijing Olympic Games only four months away and frenzy mounting in the host city, organizers of the annual French Film Panorama made a popular choice of opening the festival with an Olympic-themed comedy. Based on the 1968 comic book of the same name, "Asterix at the Olympic Games" features competitions in ancient Olympic Games and stars French movie icons Alain Delon and Gerard Depardieu. Its 78 million Euro (about 123 million U.S. dollars) budget makes it one of the most expensive European movies ever.

Defying many Chinese's natural association of French films with slow-paced, art-house productions that are hard to follow, most of the 10 features to screen at the festival are commercial movies released in France over the past year. Chinese audiences will also be treated to a showcase of 12 short films, a key component of the French film panorama.

The films will be shown in their original version with Chinese subtitles in Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu and Wuhan over the next fortnight. The annual event, co-organized by Unifrance, a promoter of French cinema worldwide, along with the French Embassy to China and the French Cultural Center, will close in Shanghai on April 21.