Belt and Road Film Tour | Two Asian New Talent Competition Films Debut at the Dhaka International Film Festival

The 23rd Dhaka International Film Festival took place in Bangladesh from January 11 to 19, during which two Chinese films, GONE WITH THE BOAT and FRIDAY, FUNFAIR, recommended by SIFF’s Belt and Road Film Tour mechanism, were featured in the festival’s “Wide Angle” section and showcased at the “Chinese Film Week” held for the festival.

GONE WITH THE BOAT is written and directed by Chen Xiaoyu, starring Ge Zhaomei, Wu Zhoukai, and Liu Dan. It is a small yet beautiful poetic film that tells the story of how children of the countryside urgently seek their home in the face of rural changes and their mother’s death, a reflection of the current state of people’s lives and their mental state. The film was previously nominated for the Asian New Talent section of the 25th Shanghai International Film Festival and eventually the winner of the Best Screenwriter award.

FRIDAY, FUNFAIR, directed by Zeng Zhi and starring Ying Ze in a lead role, focuses on the survival struggles of middle-aged women caught in life’s cracks. After premiering at the 2024 Silk Road International Film Festival, the film has been selected again for an international film festival. It was also nominated in the “WIP” section of SIFF PROJECT 2023 and won the Best Film award in the Asian New Talent section at the 26th Shanghai International Film Festival in 2024.

With 2025 marking the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and Bangladesh and the “China-Bangladesh Year of Cultural Exchange”, this year also coincides with the 120th anniversary of Chinese cinema. During the 23rd Dhaka International Film Festival, the Chinese Embassy in Bangladesh and China Film Administration co-hosted the Chinese Film Week, showcasing 15 outstanding Chinese films of various styles, including MOON MAN and JOHNNY KEEP WALKING!. Additionally, an exhibition was jointly organized, titled “Years as Songs: Celebrating 120 Years of Chinese Cinema”, highlighting the charm and vitality of Chinese cinema beyond the big screen and commemorating the longstanding cooperation and friendship between the two countries.

Founded in 1992, the Dhaka International Film Festival is the most prestigious film event in Bangladesh and one of the major film festivals in South Asia. It presents films from around the world, thereby serving as a vibrant cultural exchange platform, showcasing the unique allure of cinematic art. This year’s theme is “Better Film, Better Audience, Better Society”, featuring 220 films from 75 countries. The Chinese film 100 YARDS was selected for the Asian Film Competition section of the festival. It is directed by Xu Haofeng and Xu Junfeng, and was previously included in the SIFF GALA of the 25th Shanghai International Film Festival in 2023.

Founded in 2018, the Belt and Road Film Festival Alliance is initiated by the Organizing Committee of Shanghai International Film Festival. As of May 2022, the Alliance consists of 55 members from 48 countries. Under the background of the Belt and Road Initiative, the Alliance makes mutual recommendation of films and exchanges among filmmakers as its core, aiming to jointly enhance film curatorial capability, promote mutual understanding among filmmakers, push forward film collaborative programs and strengthen film cultural exchanges among countries, so as to establish a close information sharing mechanism and explore the development mode for film festivals in the future..

Civilizations thrive with exchange and mutual learning. Since its establishment, the Belt and Road Film Festival Alliance has collaborated with the Publicity Department of the Pudong New Area in Shanghai (District Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau) and the Administrative Committee of Shanghai International Resort to host the Belt and Road Film Week, creating a film tour mechanism that effectively promotes two-way exchanges of filmmakers and film culture among countries along the route, thereby further enhancing cultural connections and mutual understanding among nations.