Beijing cuisine, balloons flying children's wishes, students visiting their former teacher, shots on people exercising as well as a Monet-style of Beijing Impressions…
These angles are what five internationally renowned directors took when showing to the world what Beijing is like in preparing for the upcoming Olympic Games.
Andrew Lau (L) |
 Patrice Leconte
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In a project called Vision Beijing to promote the 2008 Olympic host city, Beijing municipality invited Italian Giuseppe Tornatore, Majid Majidi from Iran, Patrice Leconte of France, Daryl Goodrich of Britain as well as Andrew Lau Wai Keung from Hong Kong to each make a five-minute Olympic promotional film, which were broadcast by television stations inside and outside of China last Thursday.
In Leconte's "Beijing-A Film Impressionistic," there is no storyline but like an impressionist painting. There are many images like kites flying in the sky, the Great Wall, the Temple of Heaven, the National Stadium and people performing acrobatics in this impressionistic "painting". Watch the film 
In comparison with Leconte's images, Andrew Lau focuses his camera on enticing food in Beijing. In the Hongkonger's five-minute movie, he shows the delicious buffet of food, including Peking duck in fancy restaurants and snack stands along the street. The shots of the food are enough to make any viewer hungry. Watch the film
Following his signature theme of children, Majidi has them in his film to send Beijing's best wishes for the Olympics and hopes for a harmonious world. Named "Colors Fly", the short movie features a group of children who fly balloons in the five colors of the Olympic rings. As the children ride the bicycles on the street, they release the balloons with wishes written on them. Watch the film
Young athletes are the main theme of Goodrich's film. The British director was inspired by a local youth's three questions about China's role in the modern Olympics. The movie answers the queries by affirming China's status in the sporting world and its big contribution to the Olympics. Watch the film
Finally, compared with the other four films, Italian director Giuseppe Tornatore's work is a complete story. His film begins with a busy Beijing morning, when a bus driver surnamed Li recognizes an elderly woman doing tai chi in the park is his former teacher. What follows are scenes of people with various occupations, like construction workers, Peking opera singers and tricycle riders. The story follows with Li writing to her former classmates to organize a reunion with their teacher. Watch the film
