The Belt and Road Film Festival Alliance Included as One of Achievements of the Third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation

On the evening of October 18th, the list of multilateral cooperation documents and practical cooperation projects of the Third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation was officially released in Beijing, and the Belt and Road Film Festival Alliance initiated by the Organizing Committee of Shanghai International Film Festival (SIFF) was found on the list. Anchored by the Silk Road spirit of extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits, SIFF has meticulously planned and effectively implemented the long-term development mechanism of the Belt and Road Film Festival Alliance through exchange and mutual learning.

In May 2017, China successfully hosted the first Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation. In the same year, SIFF invited representatives from 13 countries, including Hungary, Greece, and the Philippines, to jointly sign a memorandum of understanding on film culture cooperation along the Belt and Road route, and to make continuous efforts to build a key platform for film exchange and cooperation between China and countries along the Belt and Road route.

In June 2018, the Belt and Road Film Festival Alliance was officially established

On June 16, 2018, during SIFF, the Belt and Road Film Festival Alliance was officially established. Representatives from 31 film festivals from 29 countries gathered together to reach agreements on establishing information sharing mechanisms, recommending films for screening, recommending film professionals as guests, and promoting film co-production. After five years of development, the Belt and Road Film Festival Alliance has been growing in terms of both engagement and influence, and has currently incorporated 55 member institutions from 48 countries.

In 2023, the Belt and Road Film Week of the 25th SIFF was launched at the Shendi Center in the Shanghai International Resort

The Belt and Road Film Week, introduced in the same year and underpinned by the Belt and Road Film Festival Alliance, is jointly organized by SIFF, the People’s Government of Pudong New Area, and the Shanghai International Resort. It comes with screenings, forums, industry dialogues, and market promotions every year, inviting filmmakers from countries across the world to to discuss the latest trends and development directions of the film industry and explore diversified cooperation modes in Shanghai.

Hungarian director Ildikó Enyedi, Iranian film composer Peyman Yazdanian, Lebanese director and actress Nadine Labaki, and Filipino director Brillante Mendoza have been invited to the SIFF MasterClass

Civilization and culture thrive with exchange and mutual appreciation. Since its establishment, the Belt and Road Film Festival Alliance has facilitated the two-way exchange and mutual learning between filmmakers and film cultures of countries along the route, and taken further cultural exchanges and the understanding among these countries as well. Over the past five years, the Belt and Road Film Week has screened 111 films recommended by members of the Belt and Road Film Festival Alliance from countries along the route and invited a plethora of internationally renowned filmmakers to the SIFF MasterClass. Since 2021, the Belt and Road Film Week has reached out to five cities in the Yangtze River Delta region, including Nanjing, Suzhou, Hangzhou, Ningbo and Hefei, to bring high-quality new works from countries along the route to more audiences.

In 2021, the launch ceremony of Yangtze River Delta Screening of the Belt and Road Film Week was held in Suzhou

Also based on the Alliance, since 2018, SIFF launched the Belt and Road Film Tour Mechanism, recommending excellent Chinese films and filmmakers to film festivals in countries along the Belt and Road route for screenings and activities. So far, more than 30 Chinese films have been recommended to international film festivals such as the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival in Estonia, the Warsaw Film Festival in Poland, and the Cairo International Film Festival in Egypt. And these films include FIVE HUNDRED MILES, SISTER, WU HAI, FISH UNDER THE ICE, KARMA, and BACK TO THE WHARF. Chinese actress and producer Zhao Tao and director Zheng Dasheng have served as jury members for the Durban International Film Festival in South Africa and the Miskolc International Film Festival in Hungary respectively through the Belt and Road Film Tour Mechanism.

Director Zheng Dasheng (seventh from the left) at the 16th Miskolc International Film Festival as the jury member

In 2019, CAPERNAUM, the first Lebanese film introduced into China through the cooperation with SIFF, achieved an impressive box office of RMB 376 million in mainland China. In 2020, ANIMA was brought by SIFF to the forefront at the main competition section of the 42nd Cairo International Film Festival through the Belt and Road Film Tour Mechanism. With efforts made for both import and export of films, the brand influence of the Belt and Road Film Festival Alliance is ever growing.

The film posters of the Lebanese film Capernaum and the Chinese film ANIMA

This year, SIFF and Huaxia Film Distribution Co., Ltd. signed a contract to deepen cooperation and jointly further the development of film culture along the Belt and Road route.

In June 2023, SIFF and Huaxia Film Distribution Co., Ltd. signed a strategic cooperation agreement to provide assistance in areas such as film shooting and distribution, talent cultivation, and content incubation for the Belt and Road Film Alliance