Chinese actress Yao Chen (right) and music producer Zhang Yadong attend the opening ceremony of the 8th annual French Cinema Panorama in Beijing on April 7 (CRIENGLISH.COM)

The opening ceremony of the 8th annual French Cinema Panorama was held in Beijing on April 7. Chinese actress Yao Chen and music producer Zhang Yadong were among the celebrities in attendance.

As Chinese ambassadors of this year's event, Yao and Zhang spoke highly of the French films. They both hope the event will promote cultural exchanges between the two countries.

This year's festival will run from April 5 through May 30 in four Chinese cities, namely Beijing, Shenzhen, Hangzhou and Chengdu. During the event, 10 recently-released French feature films and 10 short films, including the thriller The Big Picture and documentary film Oceans will be showcased.

All screenings will be in French with Chinese subtitles. French artists, including director Francois Ozon, will communicate with Chinese audiences after the screenings.

(CRIENGLISH.com April 7, 2011)