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Long Walk to open across China on Mandela Day

9 July 2014

Internationally acclaimed film Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom will be released in China on 18 July, Nelson Mandela International Day, producer Anant Singh announced on Wednesday.

State film distributer China Film Group Corporation will release Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom on more than 1 000 screens in China - the first time that a South African film will have such a wide release that country, on the same terms as Hollywood studio films.

Singh said in a statement that the release was timely, as it fell on the anniversary of Madiba's birthday "and will be the first year that the world will commemorate this special occasion after his passing.

"The film will provide an opportunity for Chinese audiences to celebrate Madiba's life and pay tribute to him as a global icon and leader who is revered and respected in China."

The release will also coincide with the formalisation of a two-year cultural exchange programme between South Africa and China that was launched in Beijing in April.

Also on 18 July, the film will be screened at the Isola del Cinema in Rome, at the Ischia Global Fest on the Italian island of Ischia, and as the finale to the Rwanda International Film Festival.

In South Africa, the public will be able to watch a free screening of the award-winning biopic at selected cinemas across the country at 9.45am on Mandela Day.

SAinfo reporter