Wong Kar Wai Named Head of Beijing Film Festival Jury

'The Grandmaster,' Wong's most recent release, won the festival's top prize in 2014.


Hong Kong auteur Wong Kar Wai will head the competition jury of the 8th Beijing International Film Festival, set to run April 15-22 in the Chinese capital.


The government-backed event revealed the appointment Monday, promising to announce additional jury members and the full competition lineup in the coming weeks.


Typically, an official selection of 15 international films compete for the Tiantan Award, the festival's top prize. Wong won the award with his last release, martial arts drama The Grandmaster (2014), which earned $45 million in China.


Wong will next direct Tong Wars, an hour-long period drama series for Amazon. Produced by Paul Attanasio, the series is set in 19th-century San Francisco and tells an immigrant story centered on the clashes between organized-crime families in the city’s Chinatown.


A popular draw for Hollywood power players looking to cultivate business in the burgeoning Chinese industry, past editions of the Beijing festival have drawn attendance and participation by James Cameron, Kathleen Kennedy, Jim Gianopulos, Luc Besson, Natalie Portman, Darren Aronofsky and others.