Film festival a boon for Silk Road

This year, the Belt and Road Initiative celebrates 12 years of cooperation between over 150 countries. Beyond trade and infrastructure, its heartbeat lies in bringing people closer together.

- Chen Ziqi

A file photo dated July 4, 2018 shows traffic travelling along a road in Gwadar, Balochistan, Pakistan, a lynchpin in China's plan to revive the old Silk Road.

(BLOOMBERG)

Film, as a universal language, has emerged as a medium for cultural exchange. To advance this vision, the Silk Road International Film Festival (SRIFF) was launched 12 years ago, weaving stories that unite cultures along historic trade routes. This year, the festival takes place between Sept 22 and 26 in Fuzhou, Fujian province, China, under the theme "Silk Road Connects the World, Film Festival Illuminates Fuzhou".

Unlike other global film festivals, SRIFF places a special focus on countries along the Silk Road and the maritime Silk Road — countries along the South China Sea, Southeast Asia and the Malacca Strait, where Chinese merchants began trading long ago. This focus reflects the festival's mission to carry forward the ancient spirit of connection by providing a stage to showcase each nation's unique culture and charm, while fostering trust, respect and mutual understanding.

This is where cinema becomes more than entertainment. It has become a bridge of understanding. Through stories that resonate emotionally, films allow audiences to step into different cultures, societies and experiences.

As acclaimed director Christopher Nolan once noted, cinema is not only about telling a character's story, but it's about letting audiences see the world through that character's eyes, and ultimately understand them on a deeper level.