Belt and Road Film Week | Yangtze River Delta Screenings Conclude Successfully, Propelled by SIFF’s Efforts in Regional Cultural Integration

On June 23, as the 26th Shanghai International Film Festival (SIFF) came to a close, the Belt and Road Film Week screenings in the Yangtze River Delta region also concluded successfully. Starting on June 15 and lasting for nine days, the event featured screenings not only in Shanghai but also in six cinemas across Nanjing, Suzhou, Hangzhou, Ningbo, and Hefei. The unique and rarely seen films from Belt and Road countries attracted significant attention and boosted both cinema “attendance” and “consumption”. This event showcased the beauty of global cinematic art gathered by the Shanghai International Film Festival and highlighted the “fruits” of collaborative integration within the Yangtze River Delta region.

Significant Increase in Box Office Sales and Attendance

for the Yangtze River Delta Screenings

The Belt and Road Film Week is a key segment of the Shanghai International Film Festival, highly anticipated by art film enthusiasts. According to the two ambassadors of this year's event, Da Peng and Yao Chen, the convergence of films from different countries during the Belt and Road Film Week serves as a bridge for cultural exchange, enhancing mutual trust and understanding.

This year's Belt and Road Film Week, themed “Path of Courage”, featured 18 outstanding new works from filmmakers in Belt and Road countries. The diverse stories provided audiences with both spiritual comfort and emotional resonance, inspiring them to embark on a path of shared growth with renewed courage.

Among the 18 films selected for screening, professional curators highlighted six notable titles: the historical biopic SEMMELWEIS, the drama SIMA'S UNFINISHED NARRATION, the crime action film THE EXPERTS, the romance GITLING, the true event adaptation PERSONA NON GRATA, and Sudan's first film to be selected for the official Cannes competition, GOODBYE JULIA. These selections allowed moviegoers in the Yangtze River Delta region to experience the cinematic cultures of Belt and Road countries without any time delay.

According to statistics, this year's Belt and Road Film Week featured 36 screenings across six cinemas in five cities within the three provinces of Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Anhui in the Yangtze River Delta region. The number of viewers increased by nearly 50% compared to last year. Thousands of film enthusiasts flocked to the screenings, resonating with the main venue of the Shanghai International Film Festival. Both attendance and box office revenue saw significant increases, underscoring the expansive brand influence of the Belt and Road Film Week.

“Exclusive Surprises”

Special Bonus for Yangtze River Delta Fans

To provide a richer and more complete viewing experience for audiences in the Yangtze River Delta, this year’s festival included a “special surprise” for film fans. On June 19, before leaving Shanghai, Mohammed Alomda, the producer of GOODBYE JULIA, recorded a post-screening sharing video specifically for fans in Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Anhui. The festival staff worked overtime to quickly produce this fresh content, which was subsequently played after the screenings in all five cities. This video was an “exclusive surprise” for the local fans.

GOODBYE JULIA was selected for the "Un Certain Regard" section at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival and won the "Freedom Prize". In this 10-minute video, Mohammed Alomda shared behind-the-scenes stories of the film's creation and expressed his heartfelt gratitude to China. “While African audiences around me resonate more with the film, I was surprised by the number of Chinese viewers. Thanks to the Belt and Road Film Week for providing this opportunity for cultural exchange.” He expressed his hope that more international films would enter the Chinese market in the future and looked forward to seeing more excellent Chinese films. “Chinese culture is profound and diverse. I hope that in the future, when I visit local cinemas, I will see large posters of Chinese movies everywhere.”

The films showcased during the Belt and Road Film Week received widespread acclaim for their high quality. GOODBYE JULIA has continued to generate buzz, with its Douban rating climbing from an initial 8.0 to the current 8.6, and it is expected to rise even further. A fan from Nanjing, "Fang Fang", praised the film as "truly surprising", stating, "The production is mature, the audiovisual experience is excellent, the emotions are nuanced, and the performances are outstanding." Another viewer from Hefei, "ME", rated the film as "five stars," calling it a "very mature film with exceptional quality". After seeing the post-credits scene, a viewer from Ningbo, "Practice Song", expressed their delight, "In a country like Sudan where the film industry is not very developed, the creators’ tremendous effort has allowed us to see such an amazing movie." Other films also received positive feedback. A Hangzhou viewer, Shan Shan, who watched SEMMELWEIS, commented, "This is an engrossing Hungarian commercial film, and it rightfully holds the title of the highest-grossing local movie in the past five years."

It is noteworthy that the Yangtze River Delta screenings were not just a treat for young film fans; older audiences also showed significant interest in the films. Mr. Wu, a 70-year-old loyal member of the Hangzhou Premiere Cinemas (at LUXE Hangzhou Kerry Center), was particularly enthusiastic. On the day tickets for the Yangtze River Delta screenings went on sale, he arrived at the cinema around 11 a.m. and, with the help of the staff, purchased tickets for six films in one go. "I've always loved watching movies, and the chance to see works by filmmakers from Belt and Road countries right here at my doorstep is simply too rare to pass up," he said.

Promoting Collaborative Film Development in the Yangtze River Delta

The Belt and Road Film Week Yangtze River Delta screenings were introduced in 2021 during the 24th Shanghai International Film Festival, marking the first time the event extended to Nanjing, Suzhou, Hangzhou, Ningbo, and Hefei. As of this year's festival, a total of 18 films by filmmakers from Belt and Road countries have been screened in the region. This allows film fans in the Yangtze River Delta to enjoy a cinematic feast alongside their counterparts in Shanghai.

The "bonus" enjoyed by film enthusiasts in the Yangtze River Delta is the result of joint efforts by the Shanghai International Film Festival and the Yangtze River Delta Film Distribution and Screening Alliance. The three provinces and one city in the Yangtze River Delta are among the most developed in China’s cultural industry, with strong cultural innovation capabilities and the highest levels of cultural industry integration and internationalization. In 2019, to actively promote the integrated development of film distribution and screening in the Yangtze River Delta, the Shanghai Film Bureau, Jiangsu Film Bureau, Zhejiang Film Bureau, and Anhui Film Bureau established the "Yangtze River Delta Film Distribution and Screening Alliance" under the motto "Focus on High Quality, Strive for Integration". With its rich cultural heritage and similar audience tastes, the alliance supports the coordinated development of the film industry in the Yangtze River Delta through industry exchange platforms, talent development, and joint distribution and screening mechanisms.

Under the drive of the integrated development mechanism in the Yangtze River Delta, films showcased during the Belt and Road Film Week have continually reached the region. However, the screening of 6 films over 9 days left fans “wanting more”, with moviegoers from Wuxi, Wenzhou, Wuhu, and other areas calling for an expanded screening range.

Professor Shi Chuan of the Shanghai Theatre Academy, who has participated in the selection process for the Belt and Road Film Week for several years, has witnessed its growth and development. He also advocates for screening of the Belt and Road Film Week films in more cities that allows a greater number of fans to experience the charm of cross-cultural exchange, believing that this would enhance the impact and reach of the screenings and continue to deepen the integrated development of the film industry in the Yangtze River Delta.