Five short films about the preparation for the Beijing Olympic Games shot by world renowned directors will be broadcast by television stations in and out of China as from Thursday.

The five films will be shown on China Central Television as well as on Beijing TV, the national TV stations of Italy, France and Iran.

Meanwhile, sohu.com will put the films online for viewers across the world.

In July 2006, Beijing invited Giuseppe Tornatore from Italy, Majid Majidi from Iran, Patrice Leconte of France, Daryl Goodrich of Britain as well as Andrew Lau Wai Keung from Hong Kong to make a short film each telling stories concerning Chinese people's preparation for the August 8-24 Games.

As Tornatore's first trip to China, the Italian director made "Reunion", telling a story about how a group of students and their teacher got back together after 30 years.

It was also the first time Majidi had visited China. He chose his favorite subject, children. In "Colors Fly", Majidi focused on children looking forward to the Games.

Leconte was a stranger to Beijing too, but he was soon up to pace with his knowledge of the Chinese capital, and shot "Beijing – A Film Impressionistic", in which he depicted Beijing through various structures including the Summer Palace and Olympic venues.

Having retired as an athlete, Goodrich found his career in a combination of sport and film-making. His five-minute film, entitled "Belief", focused on the hard work and thrill of athletic competition.

Hong Kong director Lau, the only Chinese director invited to the project, showed his love for Chinese food and culture in "Color, Fragrance, Taste Beijing".

(Xinhua News Agency February 28, 2008)