The Belt and Road Film Tour: 17 Chinese Films Showcased in Dhaka, with THE CORD OF LIFE Winning Two Major Awards
2024-01-30
During the 22nd Dhaka International Film Festival in Bangladesh, the Belt and Road Film Tour of Shanghai International Film Festival (SIFF), under the support of China Film Administration, made its way into the festival. From January 20 to 28, a total of 17 outstanding domestic films, including The WANDERING EARTH: BEYOND 2020 SPECIAL EDITION, THE WANDERING EARTH 2, MY COUNTRY, MY PARENTS, and I AM WHAT I AM, were screened in Dhaka. The opening ceremony of the "Wide Angle" unit with China as the guest country of honor at this year's Dhaka International Film Festival, was held at the Bangladesh National Museum on the afternoon of January 22. Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh, Yao Wen, and Minister of Social Welfare of Bangladesh, Moni, attended the event.
The film THE CORD OF LIFE, produced by Yao Chen and Cao Yu and directed by Qiao Sixue, was nominated for the "Asian Cinema Competition" unit of the film festival and won two awards for Best Film and Best Actress.
Director Lhapal Gya and producer/screenwriter Ma Haiquan of the film THE GREAT DISTANCE DELIVERS CRANE, director Hong Ying of the film MOONLIGHT WARRIOR had interactions and exchanges with local audiences during the film festival. The Dhaka International Film Festival held the Master Class on film for the first time this year, with Professor Shi Chuan, Vice President of Shanghai Film Association, recommended by SIFF, giving lectures and analyzing the contemporary Chinese film aesthetics, which received widespread praise from local film enthusiasts and marked the beginning of in-depth communication between Chinese and Bangladeshi filmmakers.
Stunning debut of films from China
The opening ceremony of the "Wide Angle" unit of the Dhaka International Film Festival was held at the National Museum of Bangladesh on the afternoon of January 22, local time. More than 300 participants, including Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh Yao Wen, Minister of Social Welfare of Bangladesh Dipu Moni, Cultural Counsellor of the Chinese Embassy in Bangladesh Le Liwen, representatives from the organizer of Dhaka International Film Festival led by Director Ahmed Muztaba Zamal, as well as filmmakers and film enthusiasts from China and Bangladesh, were present at the event.
With the support of the China Film Administration and the Chinese Embassy in Bangladesh, the Dhaka International Film Festival, as a member of the Belt and Road Film Festival Alliance, has joined hands with the SIFF to invite 16 outstanding contemporary Chinese films of diverse genres and distinctive features to be screened in the "Wide Angle" unit, casting spotlight on the artistic achievements of contemporary Chinese cinema.
Complete list of 16 films in the 'Wide Angle' unit:
THE WANDERING EARTH: BEYOND 2020 SPECIAL EDITION
THE WANDERING EARTH 2
CLOUDY MOUNTAIN
MY COUNTRY, MY PARENTS
I AM WHAT I AM
HEART'S MOTIVE
LOSE TO WIN
TALE OF THE NIGHT
MOZART FROM SPACE
NICE VIEW
THE LITTLE HORSEWHIP
FADE AWAY PASTORAL
THE WINGS OF SONG
THE MAGICAL CRAFTMANSHIP OF SUZHOU
MOONLIGHT WARRIOR
THE GREAT DISTANCE DELIVERS CRANE
At the opening ceremony, Ambassador Yao Wen noted that this film festival is a milestone in the history of China-Bangladesh film cooperation. The number of Chinese films screened has made a significant leap, vividly reflecting the great development of cultural exchanges between China and Bangladesh. Next year marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Bangladesh, and film will also become one of the highlights to upgrade cooperation between the two countries.
Bangladesh's Minister of Social Welfare, Moni, expressed gratitude to the Chinese Embassy in Bangladesh for their support of this event and welcomed the arrival of Chinese filmmakers. "Film is one of the best ways to record and understand a country's culture, history, and traditions. I believe that through the exchange between the film industries of China and Bangladesh, the people of both countries will not only gain a better understanding of each other's cultures but also deepen their friendship."
Mr. Mofidul, a member of the organizing committee of the Dhaka International Film Festival, and Professor Shi Chuan, Vice President of the Shanghai Film Association, also delivered speeches at the opening ceremony, congratulating the successful hosting of this film festival.
The unique charm in film poster exhibition
To enrich this screening event and enhance the understanding and knowledge of Chinese films among Bangladeshi film fans, Dhaka International Film Festival and SIFF collaborated to hold a Chinese film poster exhibition at the Bangladesh National Museum. Ambassador Yao Wen and Minister Moni, along with other guests, cut the ribbon for the poster exhibition before the opening ceremony. These carefully designed and diverse Chinese film posters attracted many festival attendees and film fans to view and take commemorative photos.
In-depth communication between Chinese and Bangladeshi filmmakers
The chairman of the Dhaka International Film Festival introduced the director of the film MOONLIGHT WARRIOR, Hong Ying, the director of THE GREAT DISTANCE DELIVERS CRANE, Lhapal Gya, the producer and screenwriter, Ma Haiquan, to the guests and fans present, and thanked them for serving as "cultural envoys" for the film exchange between China and Bangladesh. That evening, THE GREAT DISTANCE DELIVERS CRANE had its first screening in Bangladesh. The film was selected as a WIP project by the 24th SIFF during its post-production stage and is the second feature film by young director Lhapal Gya. In 2023, the film was nominated for the Best Children's Film at the 36th China Golden Rooster Awards.
On January 23rd, the film MOONLIGHT WARRIOR was screened, and director Ms. Hong Ying attended the event to interact with the audience. Three Chinese filmmakers were also invited to attend the film festival's media conference on the same day, where they shared their experiences in film production and exchanged thoughts with local journalists and film enthusiasts.
This year's Dhaka International Film Festival has also invited Shi Chuan, Vice President of the Shanghai Film Association and professor at Shanghai Theatre Academy, to serve as a jury member for the Asian Cinema Competition unit, along with four other international jury members, to view and select 15 films in the competition unit.
Group photo of the jury of the Asian Cinema Competition at the 22nd Dhaka International Film Festival
In addition, Professor Shi Chuan was invited to be the keynote speaker of the Master Class. On the morning of January 27, Professor Shi Chuan brought a master-level lecture on film to local film enthusiasts, discussing and analyzing the aesthetic style and characteristics of contemporary Chinese film art. It is understood that this is the first time the Dhaka International Film Festival has held a Master Class on film, with a total of three sessions. The other two Master Class guests are Iranian director Majid Majidi and Indian director Anjan Dutt.
During the Dhaka International Film Festival, director Hong Ying and Professor Shi Chuan participated in the "West Meets East Screenplay Lab" event of the festival upon invitation, where they shared their experiences in scriptwriting with young filmmakers from South Asia. The "West Meets East Screenplay Lab" is a talent unit of the Dhaka International Film Festival, aiming to discover and support outstanding film creators and projects in the South Asian region.
Director Hong Ying at "West Meets East Screenplay Lab" upon invitation delivering a speech
Two awards scooped by THE CORD OF LIFE
On the afternoon of January 28, the closing ceremony and award ceremony of the Dhaka International Film Festival were held. The film THE CORD OF LIFE, produced by Bad Rabbit (Shanghai) Film Co., Ltd., China Film Co.,Ltd., and others, was the only Chinese film nominated for the "Asian Cinema Competition" unit, and won the Best Film and Best Actress awards in this section. The creators of THE CORD OF LIFE were unable to attend, and director Qiao Sixue and actress Badma expressed their gratitude to the Organizing Committee of Dhaka International Film Festival, the jury members, and the local audience through video. After the closing ceremony, THE CORD OF LIFE was screened again at the Bangladesh National Museum as the best film in this section.
Dhaka International Film Festival is one of the most prestigious film festivals in Bangladesh, and it officially joined the Belt and Road Film Festival Alliance in 2019. With recommendations from the Belt and Road Film Tour mechanism, this film festival has screened films such as ANCHOR BABY and FISH UNDER THE ICE from SIFF Project in 2021, as well as the Shanghai-produced film HARHUU in 2022.
In recent years, relying on the unique platform of the Belt and Road Film Festival Alliance, SIFF's Belt and Road Film Tour has continuously supported Chinese films and filmmakers to "go global", and brought into forth a mechanism of year-round screenings and global screenings. So far, more than thirty Chinese films have been recommended to participate in 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. These films include FIVE HUNDRED MILES, SISTER, WUHAI, ANIMA, HARHUU, KARMA, BACK TO THE WHARF, ALA CHANGSO, GIRLS ALWAYS HAPPY, A FIRST FAREWELL, etc., and relevant filmmakers have been invited to participate in overseas film festivals to further promote cultural exchanges between Chinese and foreign films and present a true, three-dimensional, and comprehensive China to the world. The Belt and Road Film Tour provides an effective way for countries to understand Chinese filmmakers and the Chinese film industry, and offers support for promoting Chinese films to "go global". This time, a total of 17 Chinese films appeared at the Dhaka International Film Festival, marking the beginning of a new round of the tour.
The Belt and Road Film Festival Alliance was initiated by the Organizing Committee of SIFF and was established in 2018. It currently has 55 member institutions from 48 countries. Against the background of the Belt and Road Initiative, the alliance aims to enhance the curatorial level of films, promote mutual understanding among filmmakers, facilitate film cooperation projects, strengthen cultural exchanges in the film industry, establish a close mechanism for information sharing, and explore future development models for film festivals. Civilization thrives with communication and mutual learning. Since its establishment, the Belt and Road Film Festival Alliance has taken further two-way exchanges and mutual learning between filmmakers and film cultures, and effectively enhanced cultural exchanges and people-to-people bonds among countries along the Belt and Road route.