Curtain call for first SCO Film Festival

Singers and dancers from SCO nations perform at the closing ceremony. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Penned by award-winning scriptwriter Wang Haiping, the film will be shot in Qingdao, the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region and Pakistan, and is scheduled to open by the end of 2019.

Wang says the movie will feature a dedicated protagonist leading a convoy of vehicles who has to overcome adverse weather conditions-from mudslides to avalanches-to join the main highway construction team.

During the festival's Film Market, a highlighted section held from June 14 to 15, nearly a dozen Chinese companies signed memorandums to show their intentions to purchase 11 films, including Indian drama Sultan and Night Accident from Kyrgyzstan and the Russian title Night Watchman.

For most industry insiders and filmmakers, the festival is an ideal opportunity to celebrate the diversity of cinema, and demonstrate how a story with universal value can travel beyond borders.

"In recent years, some non-Hollywood foreign movies have scored high box-office revenues in China, which shows that Chinese audiences are becoming more accepting of, and discerning about, good stories," says Fu Ruoqing, president of Huaxia Film Distribution Co, during one of the festival's forums on the theme of cooperation.

He adds that many of these box-office hits showcased their country's landscapes and customs, while recounting positive and uplifting tales of compassion that resonate with local audiences.

As one of the Chinese distributors behind the Indian hits Dangal, PK and Secret Superstar, and Russian blockbuster He Is A Dragon, Huaxia has launched an alliance to introduce more movies from countries involved in the Belt and Road Initiative, says Fu.

The Chinese movie The Chinese movie Enter the Forbidden City opens the SCO Film Festival and is a winner of the best picture prize. [Photo provided to China Daily] 

Han Sanping, who presided over the 12-member jury panel to select the winners of the Golden Seagull Awards, believes Chinese filmmakers can learn from their counterparts in the SCO nations, especially about their focus on making stories with a strong human interest.

And just as Chinese voiced their desire to see more quality imports from the SCO nations, many of the foreign filmmakers were quick to echo their sentiments.

Renowned actor, and head of the Russian delegation, Sergei Puskepalis, says there has been a growing interest among Russian audiences to see more Chinese films screened in their country in recent years.

Pakistani producer-director Momina Duraid Qureshi says she was keen to reach out to Chinese postproduction companies about using their services for her movies, since Pakistan faces a shortage of these kinds of facilities.

She also believes the growth of the Chinese population in Pakistan in recent years will provide more inspiration for coproductions.

"My youngest son is 8 years old. His best friend is a Chinese boy," says Qureshi, suggesting it as an example of how a cross-cultural friendship could be developed into an interesting movie.

"China's film industry is growing very fast. It's not only doing well domestically," observes Asef Baraki, the Afghan producer of Mina Walking. "But it's also becoming influential abroad. As a result, we look forward to cooperating more with Chinese filmmakers."