2019-06-19

Further Deepen the Exchange and Mutual Learning, Make Cooperation from Intention to Fulfillment, Wit

On the evening of June 19, the 22nd Shanghai International Film Festival "Belt and Road" Film Night was held at the Walt Disney Grand Theater in Disney Town, Shanghai International Tourism and Resorts Zone. All major film festival chairmen, artistic directors, the representatives of panorama films and well-known filmmakers from countries along the "Belt and Road" line gathered to witness the glorious moment of the "Belt and Road" Film Week of this Shanghai International Film Festival.

Site of the 22nd Shanghai International Film Festival "Belt and Road" Film Night

As an important event of the "Belt and Road" Film Week at the Shanghai International Film Festival, this Film Night attracted many famous people from home and abroad. Peyman Yazdanian, a well-known Iranian composer and pianist, Huang Lu, a Chinese actress who had nominated "the best actress" for the three major European film festivals, the well-known actress Zeng Meihuizi, the young actor Zheng Kai, Brillante Mendoza, a famous Philippine director, Yong Mei, winner of the best actress at Berlin Film Festival, Israeli director Nadav Lapid and Emily Beecham, the British actress and "the best actress" of the 72nd Cannes Film Festival were unveiled on the stage one after another.

The "Belt and Road" Film Festival Alliance, established during the 21st Shanghai International Film Festival in 2018, has 31 film festival organizations from 29 countries became its first members. The "Belt and Road Film Week" launched in the same year attracted filmmakers from all over the world to join this "big party" of cultural exchange. This year, the Shanghai International Film Festival has further upgraded the level of this platform for promoting the exchange and mutual learning of film culture, which has attracted the attention and response of more national film festivals. The "Belt and Road" Film Festival Alliance has ushered 7 new members. Currently, the alliance has 38 film festivals from 33 countries. During this year\'s Shanghai International Film Festival, the chairmen and representatives of various film festivals communicated closely and exchanged views with each other in forums, markets, panoramas and visits. Many cooperation plans have been implemented from their intentions.

Site of the 22nd Shanghai International Film Festival "Belt and Road" Film Night

The 22nd Shanghai International Film Festival received a total of 1,875 films from 53 countries and regions along the "Belt and Road". The member organizations of the film festival alliance from 24 countries recommended their latest 24 films to participate in the "Belt and Road" Film Week. After being selected by critics from five countries including China, Bangladesh, Estonia, Hungary and Iran, eight films, CRYSTAL SWAN, A FIRST FAREWELL, SCANDINAVIAN SILENCE, GENESIS, SUI DHAAGA: MAD IN INDIA, BILLE, GOOD MORNING and THE SUN ABOVE ME NEVER SETS, became shortlisted films for the "Belt and Road" Film Week. They participated in the competition for the three honors of "Filmmakers with Media Attention", "Films with Media Attention" and "The Most Popular Film" announced on the Film Night tonight.

Árpád Bogdán (GENESIS) from Hungary and Wang Lina (A FIRST FAREWELL) from China were selected as Filmmakers with Media Attention by the audience and media. The Russian film THE SUN ABOVE ME NEVER SETS and the Belarusian film CRYSTAL SWAN were selected as Films with Media Attention. The Russian film THE SUN ABOVE ME NEVER SETS was honored as The Most Popular Film.

In the "Belt and Road" Film Night celebration, Chinese film director, Frant Gwo expressed his movie dream with the theme of "cultural enlightenment is limitless". As a young "post-80s" Chinese director, his third movie THE WANDERING EARTH earned 4.655 billion yuan at the box office. He said: "I firmly believe that dreams can be shared with others through the screen. Here, I have met more colleagues and gathered on the platform of the Belt and Road Film Festival Alliance to enrich civilization through exchanges."

Chinese film director Frant Gwo

With the end of the "Belt and Road" Film Night, the "Belt and Road" Film Week of this film festival also came to a close. From the establishment of the "Silk Road" Film Exhibition Unit in 2015 to the establishment of the "Belt and Road" Film Festival Alliance, the holding of the "Belt and Road" Film Week and the "Belt and Road" Film Tour, the Shanghai International Film Festival has continuously promoted the exhibition, exchange and mutual learning of the "Belt and Road" Film Culture Community, providing an important platform for the "Belt and Road" national filmmakers to deepen their understanding and cooperate with each other. With the theme of "The Light and Life", the "Belt and Road" Film Week of this film festival\'s held a variety of activities such as the "Belt and Road" Film Panorama, the "Belt and Road" SIFF MasterClass, the "Belt and Road" High-level Roundtable Talk, the "Belt and Road" Film Night, etc., which received enthusiastic responses from Chinese and foreign filmmakers and institutions.