IWC and BJIFF Celebrate 3rd Year of Partnership

In the luxurious surroundings of the Diaoyutai State Guest-house, which has hosted nearly a thousand foreign heads of state and government officials in the past, IWC hosted its exclusive “For the Love of Cinema” Filmmakers Dinner as part of the official programme of the Beijing Inter nation­al Film Festival. “We are proud to act as official sponsor and partner of the prospering BJIFF for the third time,” said Goris Verburg, Managing Director IWC Schaffhausen North East Asia. “The festival is not only based at the centre of the world’s fastest­growing film market, but also it attracts strong international attention as it has be-come a world­class event. We are delighted to add to this success and have committed ourselves to another 3­year sponsorship until 2017.” Francis Ng, Yuan Quan, Wang Luodan, Dou Xiao, supermodel Karolina Kurkova, Ming Xi, Liu Chang and famous director Peter Ho­Sun Chan together with other local and inter national film makers walked the red carpet in the graceful imperial garden at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse. The internationally renowned actress, Zhou Xun, also a member of the BJIFF jury, accompanied her acting colleagues in her role as IWC brand ambassador.

The first highlight of the private dinner “For the Love of Cinema” was the presentation of the IWC Filmmaker Award. With the aim of honouring exceptional personalities in the film industry who excel in their field, the luxury watch manufacturer IWC Schaffhausen presents this prestigious prize at the film festivals of Tribeca and Dubai, and has also done so at the previous two Beijing Inter­national Film Festivals, while at the same time enjoying partnerships with the film festivals in London and Zurich. This year, Peter Ho­Sun Chan, one of the most predom­inant Chinese filmmakers, accepted the IWC Filmmaker Award from Dennis Lee, Managing Director of IWC China,to great applause. “Chan has become one of the most influential directors in Chinese film. He is a master of diverse film genres, whether drama, musicals, action films or historical epics, and has created his very own and characteristic style in filmmaking,” Lee said. “Since his first appearance in the world of film, he has directed nu-merous unforgettable movies and is the only filmmaker to have won a Hong Kong Film Award, a Taiwan Golden Horse Award and a China Golden Rooster Award for his work as director. It is a great pleasure for us to present him with yet another award.” Last year, Chinese film director Feng Xiaogang received the recognition for his exceptional achievements, and the year before, filmmaker Zhang Yimou accepted the IWC Filmmaker Award 2013.Passionate music rang out as the Shaolin Kung Fu Masters appeared on stage, delivering a spectacular performance to bring the accuracy and precision of a watch movement to life. To conclude the glamorous evening, Tayu Lo took to the stage for a private concert. The Taiwanese singer and songwriter has been known as the “godfather” and legend of Chinese pop music for more than 30 years and is recognized as a major cultural icon in Taiwan, Hong Kong and China. During the evening, he paid tribute to the world of movies and filmmaking by performing a variety of his most famous film songs.

November 04, 2015