Shanghai film fete offers clues about upcoming releases

Sci-fi films are carving out a niche for themselves with The Wandering Earth grossing a whopping 4.7 billion yuan earlier this year, enticing more entries at the Shanghai festival.

One of them features pop idol Lu Han and A-list actress Shu Qi.

The film, Shanghai Fortress, directed by Teng Huatao, is about the city of Shanghai battling to defend itself against an attack by an alien force.

A set covering an area of 6,000 square meters was built to bring to life the Chinese army's headquarters for the film, which is based on a novel penned by Yang Zhi, better known as Jiang Nan.

Director Lu Chuan's film Bureau 749 is another hotly anticipated sci-fi flick. The film, based on his early experiences, is about an organization which specializes in investigating mysterious incidents.

Lu says the film is being shot in Beijing, Chongqing, Baiyin in Gansu province and in Ordos in Inner Mongolia autonomous region.

While it is hard to predict which film will be a hit, the flood of new movies shows how Chinese filmmakers are determined to capture the viewers' attention.