Short track speed skaters Wu Dajing and Ren Ziwei, both members of China’s victorious 2000 metres mixed team relay and Big Air snowboarding gold medallist Su Yiming joined the audience for the first showing of Beijing 2022.

The film was directed by Lu Chuan whose previous work includes Kekexili, City of Life and Death and Disney’s Born in China.

Another renowned film director Zhang Yimou, who masterminded the Opening and Closing Ceremonies in both 2008 and 2022, was appointed as executive producer and assisted by Zhang Heping as general consultant.

Lu decided to focus on the unique problems presented by an Olympics staged in the midst of the COVID-19 crisis.

"I was attracted by every touching moment the participants created because of the difficulties, excitement and dreams," Lu said.

"I wanted to show the contribution of the staff behind the scenes, as their resilience and solidarity gives us an in-depth sense of the Olympic Spirit."

The film is the result of three years of planning. 

More than 700 hours of footage were shot during the Games and it has taken over a year to edit the film to its final duration of 103 minutes.

"The Beijing 2022 official film not only beautifully captures some of the powerful stories and experiences of the Olympian athletes, but Lu Chuan’s work is an incredible record of the unique story of these Games held in the middle of a pandemic, moments lived during extraordinary circumstances that will likely seem surreal to future generations,"  associate director of the Olympic Foundation for Culture and Heritage Yasmin Meichtry said. 

The film is now set to go on general release in China and world wide on May 19.

"Just like the preparations for the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022, the Official Film Beijing 2022 overcame numerous challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic," Beijing Vice-President Han Jirong said.