John Woo to head Beijing International Film Festival Jury

Well-established Hong Kong director John Woo will head the international jury of the 4th Beijing International Film Festival (BJIFF) in April, the film festival's organizing committee announced in Beijing on Mar. 11, 2014. The complete jury lineup will be unveiled soon, according to the organizing committee. The jury will decide the winners of this year's Tiantan Awards, which include 10 awards in total: Best Feature, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Best Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Music and Best Visual Effects. Of all 837 participating films from across the world, 15 will receive a nomination for this segment. Woo, born in 1946, is best-known for his Hong Kong action films which include "A Better Tomorrow," "The Killer," "Hard Boiled" and "Red Cliff." His Hollywood films include "Broken Arrow," "Face/Off" and "Mission: Impossible II." In 2010, Woo received a Golden Lion Lifetime Achievement award at the Venice Film Festival. As of Feb. 24, a total of 1,323 films from 79 countries have been submitted to this year's Film Panorama. Of this number, 1,149 are from overseas.