Exhibition invites audience to a cinematic feast of opera

Other highlights include acclaimed director Pablo Larrain's operatic movie Maria, featuring Angelina Jolie as Maria Callas, one of the most iconic performers of the 20th century, and the Russian musical Anna Karenina — based on the tragic love story written by Leo Tolstoy — directed by Alina Chevik and choreographed by Irina Korneeva, which toured China in 2023 with sold-out shows.

Since its launch in 2016, the NCPA International Opera Film Exhibition has partnered with over 30 arts organizations and production companies from both home and abroad, presenting more than 100 stage art films. So far, it has toured over 30 cities and more than 100 cinemas, as well as numerous universities, with around 3,000 screenings and an audience reach of over 300,000 people.

"Opera, while a rich and deeply emotional art form, often has a niche audience due to factors like location, ticket prices, and sometimes limited accessibility. By creating opera movies, the art form can reach a much wider audience, including people who may never have the chance to attend a live performance," says tenor Wang Hongwei, who plays the leading role in the NCPA's opera production Mining Town, also featured in the exhibition. "Opera is traditionally viewed as a high-culture art form, often disconnected from modern pop culture. By adapting opera into film, directors and producers can present the art in a way that appeals to broader demographics."

Movie director Hou Keming, a professor at Beijing Film Academy, who helped select this year's programs, adds that "opera films enrich cinema content and provide a crucial platform for performing arts dissemination".

"Every film selected this year is a gem, offering a comprehensive showcase of the world's finest stage productions. These movies have introduced classical music and opera to audiences who might not typically attend the theater, creating a crossover between classical and mainstream entertainment," says Hou.