Maggie Q.[Photo by Feng Yongbin/China Daily]

The festival, which will run until Dec 17, plans to screen nearly 100 films from more than 30 countries and regions.

A series of activities, including several forums will discuss how to shape a better future for the film industry in China, which has become the world's second-largest movie market where nearly half of its annual box-office revenue still earned by Hollywood blockbusters.