Cinemas have both ends of the movie spectrum covered this weekend, with Chinese art house classics at BC MOMA and extreme sports filmic action at Sanlitun Mega Box.

But first, some local box office news. There’s been much trumpeting of China’s box office figures this year, with the State Administration for Radio, Film and Television (SARFT) announcing back in June takings of US $714 million, meaning China is on track for a record year in 2010. Last week China Daily breathlessly reported that “China's box office takings are likely to reach between 30 billion yuan (US$4.5 billion) and 40 billion yuan in 2015 to make it the world's second-largest movie market.”

Interestingly though, yesterday The Wall Street Journal reported that although box office receipts for 2010 have now surpassed US $ 1.2 billion (around RMB 8 billion), the number of tickets sold this year has not actually increased: “The number of filmgoers remains steady at 200 million, almost the same year-over-year. Tickets are just getting more expensive, says Mao Yu, vice director of the State Administration of Radio Film and Television, which tracks the country’s box office.” China’s love affair with IMAX – and the more expensive IMAX tickets – has contributed to pushing up earnings.

OK, enough numbers – let’s move onto the art.

This Saturday BC MOMA kick off their Celluloid China series, featuring six of the most important Chinese features of the past three decades. This is a rare chance to revisit classics such as Chen Kaige’s debut Yellow Earth (1984) and Jia Zhangke’s Still Life (2006) on the big screen. All films will screened with English subtitles.

The opening film is the rarely-seen Black Snow (1990) by Xie Fei, about a semi-literate who attempts to make good after being released from a labor camp. Celluloid China opens this Saturday, October 23, with cocktails from 7.30pm and the screening of Black Snow at 8pm. Director Xie Fei will be on hand for a Q&A. Opening night tickets are RMB 80/50 (members) – but tickets are selling fast so ring ahead to check there are still seats (8438 82580).

Other Celluloid China sessions are RMB 40/30 (students)/25 (members). Full schedule below.

Celluloid China Schedule

Black Snow (Xie Fei, 1990)
Saturday, October 23, 7.30pm (Opening Party + Q&A with director Xie Fei)
Saturday, October 30, 4pm

In the Heat of the Sun (Jiang Wen, 1994)
Sunday, October 24, 2pm
Friday, October 29, 7.30pm

Yellow Earth (Chen Kaige, 1984)
Sunday, October 24, 4pm
Thursday, October 28, 7.30pm

Crazy Stone (Ning Hao, 2006)
Monday, October 25, 7.30pm
Saturday, October 30, 2pm

Sacrificed Youth (Zhang Nuanxin, 1985)
Tuesday, October 26, 7.30pm
Sunday, October 31, 4pm (closing film)

Still Life (Jia Zhangke, 2006)
Wednesday, October 27, 7.30pm
Sunday, October 31, 2pm.

 If you’re more of an adrenalin junkie – or at least a vicarious thrill seeker – the Banff Mountain Film Festival hits Sanlitun Mega Box this Saturday (October 23) with documentaries and films on sports and adventures that can all be prefaced with “extreme.” The festival is circling the globe on a world tour, and the Beijing stopover is sponsored by Agenda.

The films shown will cover adventures like kayaking from Australia to New Zealand solo, skiing and snowboarding pristine back country, and rock climbing in unchartered territory. A full list of the films can be seen here.

The Banff Mountain Film Festival runs October 23-24, ending on Monday with free screenings of Chinese documentary films. The rest of the weekend features groupings of shorter films shown in two-hour blocks which cost RMB 100 each. A complete schedule can be seen here.