Luc Besson, the French film director, will be in Beijing and Shanghai between January 15-19 for the Chinese opening of his latest movie Arthur and the Minimoys.

He'll be in Beijing from January 15-17 and Shanghai over January 18-19 for several premieres and to meet the media. He'll host press conferences on January 16 in Beijing and January 18 in Shanghai. As well as the press conferences he'll also participate in several individual interviews. And he'll also give a lecture entitled "Master Class" at the Beijing Film Academy on January 15.

The premiere in Beijing will be held on January 17 at three cinemas: the New Century Film City, UME and Beijing Stellar International Cineplex. The premiere in Shanghai is at the Paradise Warner Cinema City on January 18.

This movie is an adaptation of his best selling novel Arthur and the Minimoys. It's a family adventure about a boy named Arthur who, after his grandfather disappears, sets out to save his family home from real estate developers.

Arthur learns that he must follow his grandfather's ancient clues to a vast treasure and unlock the passageway to a spectacular new world filled with mysterious little people. They're so tiny that they are considered invisible and he must enlist their help.

But once in the magical land Arthur must deal with a beautiful princess and a reckless army of defenders to save the land from an evil wizard. It seems an impossible task but as he discovers along the way it's possible for small heroes to make a big difference!

The movie uses a dazzling new combination of live-action and ground-breaking computer technology. It tells the story of the true meaning of courage and the endless power of imagination.

Arthur and the Minimoys has been successful in Europe since its release in France in December. It's release in North America is on January 12 and stars Mia Farrow and Freddie Highmore. The voices of Madonna, David Bowie Robert De Niro and Snoop Dog feature.

The movie took more than four years for Luc Besson to make and its budget was 65,000,000 euros. This makes it the most expensive production in French film-making history. It'll be widely released in China on January 19.

(People's Daily January 12, 2007)