A film festival featuring selected Chinese movies made in recent years as well as classic Hollywood movies is scheduled to be held next month in Los Angeles and two other California cities, organizers said yesterday.

With a gala opening ceremony at the Directors Guild of America Theater in Hollywood on Nov. 3, the 2008 Chinese American Film Festival (CAFF) will last for nearly an entire month to show a total of 43 movies in Los Angeles, San Francisco and San Diego, mainly targeting local Chinese-American audience.

EDI Media Inc., a Los Angeles-based entertainment company that organizes the film festival, officially released the news at a recent press conference in partnership with Shenhart Entertainment, Rudy Morgan Organization and other local entertainment companies.

A pilot showcasing participating films, including acclaimed Chinese movie "Assembly" and the Jet Li-starred saga "The Warlords," was premiered on the occasion along with a list of designated world renowned brand names as partners of the film festival, according to an EDI press release.

James Su, EDI's president and chairman of the CAFF festival, said that various sub-events will also be organized during the festival, including a special showcase of "Shanghai Films" by the Shanghai Film Group, a featured showcase of the "Best Disney Children Films and Best China Teenager Films," and "Hollywood Review of Mainstream Films" featuring major Hollywood studios and film makers.

The annual CAFF film festival, mostly a Chinese-American community event, has won more support from the business world since it was established in 2005, indicating the effectiveness of the festival's market-oriented approach, Su said.