By staff reporter ZHOU LIN

World-renowned actor Ian McKellen will visit China on 13 June at Shanghai International Film Festival for BFI Presents: Shakespeare on Film, as part of the British Council's Shakespeare Lives. Curated by the BFI (British Film Institute), Shakespeare on Film is a collection of films showing how British cinema has transformed and reimagined Shakespeare's work.

Most famous in China for his role as Gandalf in Lord of the Rings, Ian is widely regarded as one of the world's finest actors. Twice nominated for an Oscar, and recipient of every major theatrical award in the UK, Ian has been praised as one of the greatest Shakespearean actors of our time. As part of Shakespeare on Film, Ian will attend an exclusive screening of Richard III, in which he plays the leading role.

With no other writer impacting so greatly on cinema, Shakespeare on Film explores how filmmakers have adapted, been inspired by and interpreted Shakespeare's work for the big screen. The collection includes films such as Richard III, with Ian; Romeo and Juliet directed by Franco Zeffirelli; Henry V and Hamlet starring; Laurence Olivier; King Lear directed by Peter Brook, Macbeth directed by Roman Polanski, Hamlet starred by Sir Kenneth Branagh, and the BFI's new silent Shakespeare compilation, Play On! Shakespeare in Silent Film.

Ian McKellen said: "400 years on, Shakespeare's plays continue to dominate stages worldwide, mostly of course in translation, challenging actors, directors, designers and audiences. The BFI's Shakespeare on Film is more than just timely, it is a glimpse of the matchless collection of brilliant endeavor from world-beating Shakespeare experts whose films have popularized over the years.

BFI Head Curator, Robin Baker said: "No writer has had greater impact on cinema – or inspired more films. At the latest count, IMDb lists Shakespeare as the 'writer' of 1120 titles.

Nick Marchand, Director of Arts and Creative Industries at the British Council China said: "The reaction in China to Shakespeare this year is beyond our wildest dreams – with audiences responding enthusiastically to works from the Royal Shakespeare Company, Shakespeare's Globe and the Halle Orchestra. In Ian McKellen, we are privileged to welcome another great UK cultural icon. In one of the most menacing and powerful Richard III's ever to grace the screen, his presence is a highlight of Shakespeare Lives in China, and the Shakespeare on Film programme at Shanghai International Film Festival."