The 20th SIFF to Feature “the Belt and Road” Series

More than two millennia ago the diligent and courageous people of Eurasia explored and opened up several routes of trade and cultural exchanges that linked the major civilizations of Asia, Europe and Africa, collectively called the Silk Road by later generations. Last two years, Chinese President Xi Jinping raised the initiative of jointly building the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road (hereinafter referred to as the Belt and Road) to carry forward the spirit of friendly cooperation of the Silk Road. On the cultural level, the Belt and Road Initiative encourages extensive cultural and personnel exchanges and cooperation between countries along the Belt and Road.

Film, as an essential medium of cultural exchanges among people of all countries, has long been a major channel of different civilizations to reach a mutual understanding. The inheritance, development and promotion of film culture require efforts from each relevant cultural organizations and film institutions around the world. Beyond all that, these organizations and institutions should strengthen exchanges and cooperation to reach a better development prospect and more practically, enrich the choices of film watching for the international audience. Thus, under the context of the Belt and Road Initiative, the 20th edition of SIFF features the signing ceremony of “the Belt and Road” Film Culture Cooperation Mechanism Memorandum, the Roundtable Talk in SIFForum and the Time Windows for different countries along the Belt and Road to introduce and promote their film industry in film market.