Andy Lau (left) and Tony Leung star in Infernal Affairs, which will be screened under the category of "Swordsmen, Gangsters and Ghosts" during the retrospective.

Now, as part Electric Shadows - the name is a literal translation of dianying, "movie" in Chinese - the BFI is presenting a four-month-long retrospective of Chinese film, entitled A Century of Chinese Cinema.

Over 80 films will be screened across the UK, many of which have never been shown in the country. There will also be special DVD releases, lectures with academics and filmographers, as well as a library of rare digital content of nonfiction films from China from 1901 to 1949.

A Century of Chinese Cinema is curated in partnership with the Toronto International Film Festival.

"With its poetic images of times gone by, cinema grants us access to the long, varied and complex history of China. The program is a recognition of Chinese filmmaking and a vital way to understand Chinese culture today," says Noah Cowan, season curator of the TIFF, who programed the retrospective.

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