The new edition of the film "Oliver Twist," directed by film tycoon Roman Polanski, will be screened in cinemas across China beginning April 30th.   

It will be the only foreign film in China's cinemas during the May Day Holiday.    

The company coordinating the China release of the film had earlier confirmed that the director had cancelled his planned trip to China because the 73-year-old director's physical condition wasn't strong enough for the very lengthy flight.    

The director said that he chose to make a film adaptation of the classic novel because he admires 19th-century English literature and wanted to make a movie his children would enjoy.    

The director, who in 2003 took home an Academy Award for his Holocaust drama "The Pianist," said he appreciated 19th-century authors' fascination "with banal elements that influence our destiny," specifically mentioning both Thomas Hardy and "Oliver Twist" author Charles Dickens. ¡¡    

The Chinese film company also produced 100 thousand posters of Roman Polanski and the novel "Oliver Twist" to give out to audiences who come to cinemas during the holiday.

Editor: Donald