A grand event that gathered officials from the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television (SARFT), film producers and about 300 actors was held Wednesday in Beijing to promote the second group of excellent tribute films for the upcoming 60th Anniversary of the People's Republic of China.

Cast members from the spy thriller "The Message" attend a celebratory event in Beijing on Wednesday, August 19, 2009, for the upcoming screening of 40 films to commemorate the 60th Anniversary of People's Republic of China. [sohu.com]

Thirty new films were added to the existing list of 10 at the event to create the most representative collection of domestic movies before the National Day holiday on October 1, the Beijing Daily reports.

"The Message", "The Great Cause of China's Foundation" and "Tian An Men" are among the promoted heavyweights that will have their national premieres after the event.

The 40 films will be shown collectively in cinemas between August 20 and October 20. Their screening dates will be extended to cover the massive rural areas during the next Spring Festival in February.

The 40 films are expected to generate box office revenues of 800 million yuan to 1 billion yuan (US$117 million to 146 million).