Film cooperation injects new impetus into Sino-Pakistani cultural exchanges

Two movies co-produced by Chinese and Pakistani filmmakers will be released as part of efforts to promote cultural communication, with the approach of the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

Allahyar and the Legend of Markhor, adapted from an ancient Pakistani fairytale, is the first animated movie that China and Pakistan have made together.

The movie is slated to hit theaters this summer, said Zhang Jilei, general manager of Xi'an Bailu Fenghe Productions, adding that the film sheds light on the values that China and Pakistan share in fields including nature protection and the pursuit of justice.

Feature film Batie Girl, the other co-production, tells the story of a Chinese girl who coaches football to local children in Pakistan and forms deep friendships.

Pakistani films took China by storm in the 1970s and 1980s, and in recent years, film has returned to its role of promoting cultural exchanges between the two countries.

Pakistani films are resurging, Jamal Shah, former director-general of the Pakistan National Council of the Arts, said while attending the Silk Road International Film Festival in Xi'an, capital of Northwest China's Shaanxi province, in 2018.

More communication between film producers from China and other countries is needed to tap the emerging international market, so as to fuel the revival of Pakistani film, he added.

Pakistani military film Parwaaz Hai Junoon was released in China last year, marking the return of Pakistani film to China's big screens after 45 years.