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China has struggled to get viewers back into cinemas this week, but the Shanghai Intl. Film Festival (Siff) has found a way to break through: screen all eight of the “Harry Potter” franchise films in a row, with limited seating due to Covid-19 distancing measures, and watch the public duke it out for the privilege to attend.

They must be doing something right in their selection, however: the festival sold 108,000 tickets in the first ten minutes of online sales. That contrasted with only slow box office in commercial cinemas which resumed operating on Monday.

Siff is set to run July 25 to Aug. 2 with an eclectic selection shown in a mix of screenings with a live audience, outdoor viewings and online streaming.

More than 400 films will screen in 29 designated cinemas, including Jordan Peele’s “Us,” a 4K restoration of “Apocalypse Now,” and “1917,” the only studio film new to Chinese audiences among the various offerings.

Only this week officially confirmed as going ahead, the Shanghai International Film Festival has announced some of the first titles to be selected.

The festival will run 25 July to Aug. 2 combining a mixture of theatrical screenings in front of live audiences, outdoor screenings and online streaming. It will include a conference series known as the Golden Goblet Forum, its International Film and TV Market, a Belt and Road Film Week, and the Siff project market.

Cinemas in China only begin to operate from Monday 20 July. And the festival will be expected to play its part in minimizing the spread of the coronavirus. There will be no festival guests from overseas and tickets will only be sold online, starting from July 20 through vendor Taopiaopiao.

The first nine titles announced for the Golden Goblet competition section include: “Feel Your Memories,” from Italian director Cristina Comencini; “Helene,” a biopic about Finnish painter Helene Schjerfbeck directed by Antti Jokinen,...

Vision Films Inc. is delighted to present the fun-filled family adventure coming soon to VOD and DVD, Boonie Bears: To The Rescue. Directed by Leon Ding (Ding Liang), this charming animated feature about the importance of friendship and teamwork is a crazy journey in the lives of the beloved Briar and Bramble, the bear brothers, and their arch-rival, Logger Vick. The film is part of the famous Boonie Bears brand which has been distributed to over 100 countries and territories. After taking the Chinese box-office by storm, Boonie Bears: To The Rescue will finally be available for the first time in the United States on VOD across major platforms on October 8, 2019.

Boonie Bears: To The Rescue will also be released on DVD just in time for Christmas as part of a special 2-dvd pack with Boonie Bears: Homeward Journey on December 17, 2019 from Walmart. Special features include the film...