TEHRAN-The 4th China Film Week in Iran was launched in Tehran on Monday and will run until September 27, with the screening of five recent Chinese films.

According to the public relations of the Farabi Cinema Foundation, following the extensive cultural and cinematic interactions between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the People's Republic of China, the Farabi Cinema Foundation in downtown Tehran hosted the opening ceremony of the event.

The war film “The Battle at the Lake Changjin” (2021) co-directed by Chen Kaige, Dante Lam, and Tsui Hark was screened at the opening ceremony.

“The Battle at Lake Changjin” is the most expensive film ever produced in China, with a budget of $200 million. It grossed $913 million at the worldwide box office, making it the second-highest-grossing film of 2021, the highest-grossing Chinese film of all time, and the highest-grossing non-English film.

Starring Wu Jing and Jackson Yee, the film depicts the story of the North Korea-allied Chinese People's Volunteer Army, forcing U.S. forces to withdraw in a fictionalized retelling of the Battle of the Chosin Reservoir during the Korean War.

The other four films will be screened at the Iranian Cinema Museum in northern Tehran from Tuesday until Friday. They include the spy thriller movie “Cliff Walkers” (2021) by Zhang Yimou, the action-adventure feature “Cloudy Mountain” (2021) by Li Jun, the comedy-drama “Nice View” (2022) by Wen Muye, and the family animation “Bonny Bears: Back to Earth” (2022) by Lin Huida.

“Cliff Walkers” is set in the Imperial Japanese puppet state of Manchukuo in the 1930s before World War II erupts. Zhang Yi, Yu Hewei, and Qin Hailu star in the film that follows four Chinese Communist Party agents who, after returning to China, embark on a secret mission. Sold out by a traitor, the team find themselves surrounded by threats on all sides.

“Cloudy Mountain” tells the story of a father and son who try to save a small town and its newly-built tunnel that is threatened by natural disasters. Yilong Zhu, Zhizhong Huang, and Shu Chen are in the cast among others.

“Nice View” mainly tells the story of a young man named Jing Hao who, to save his sister, desperately seizes the opportunity he found to start a business, changes his fate, and affects the people around him. The cast includes Jackson Yee, Yu Tian, and Halin Chen among others.

The eighth film in the Boonie Bears series, “Boonie Bears: Back to Earth” follows Bramble who gains new abilities and an extraterrestrial sidekick when an unknown object from space lands on Earth.

Watching the films of the 4th China Film Week is free for cinema lovers.

SS/SAB