BEIJING, March 28 -- The 14th Beijing International Film Festival is scheduled for April 18 to 26, with Serbian director Emir Kusturica chairing the international jury for the Tiantan Award, organizers have said.

A total of 15 films will contend for this year's Tiantan Award, selected from a record-breaking application pool of 1,509 films from 118 countries and regions, according to a press conference on Thursday afternoon.

Brazil was invited to be the guest of honor at this year's event, as 2024 marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Brazil. A number of Brazilian filmmakers and representatives of film and TV companies will attend the festival, with a series of Brazilian movies set to be screened in Beijing.

During the festival, over 240 domestic and international films with diverse themes will be shown across more than 20 theaters in Beijing and its neighboring Tianjin Municipality and Hebei Province.

Launched in 2011, the festival aims to boost exchanges between global industry players. It has attracted increasing international attention thanks to China's booming film market.