Hollywood's ties with the second-largest film market in the world were on full display on Wednesday, as the fourth annual Beijing International Film Festival kicked off in the capital.

Appearing on the red carpet were Alfonso Cuaron, director of Academy-Award-winning film Gravity, US director Oliver Stone, La Peikang, new head of China Film Group, and French director Jean-Jacques Annaud.

Cuaron's Gravity was one of the highest grossing foreign films in China in 2013, taking in 69 million yuan ($11.1 million). Annaud is making a co-produced film based on Chinese writer Jiang Rong's best-seller Wolf Totem.