2nd EU Film Festival opens in Beijing

The second annual European Union film festival in China has opened in Beijing. A school drama from Sweden started the program.

The film "Ondskan", meaning evil, is the work of director Mikael Hafstrom from 2003. It tells the story of a 16-year-old school boy's struggle against systemized evil in a boarding school.

As it holds this year's presidency of the European Union, Sweden leads the other 26 EU countries to presenting a total of 27 recent popular and successful films. Each film will be screened in the original language with English and Chinese subtitles.

This year the film festival has expanded and is hosted by two cities, Beijing and Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan Province.

EU ambassador to China Serge Abou and Swedish ambassador Mikael Lindstrom each gave a hearty speech to welcome Chinese audiences to enjoy the films. Serge Abou says it is a realistic way for people to get to know Europe better.

The Austrian film "Mozart in China" is the only co-production with China. Most of the filming was done in China and the film stars some Chinese actors. Wang Biao, who plays a puppet show artist in the movie, is glad to be a part of the art exchange.

The festival runs until December the 4th. Film goers in Beijing and Chengdu are offered a wide and diverse selection of new faces of European cinema. The movies will be screened in selected cinemas, cultural centers and embassies.