The 9th Silk Road International Film Festival Opens in Xi'an

The opening ceremony of the 9th Silk Road International Film Festival [Photo via Executive Committee of Silk Road International Film Festival (Xi'an)]

On the evening of January 1, 2023, the opening and red-carpet ceremony of the 9th Silk Road International Film Festival was held in Qujiang E-sports Center, Xi'an. The event was hosted by China Media Group, the People's Government of Shaanxi Province and the People's Government of Fujian Province. Filmmakers, movie stars, cast representatives, and industry guests from home and abroad posed on the red carpet to celebrate the audiovisual feast centered on the Silk Road.

CCTV Host Zhu Xun (left) hosts the opening ceremony. [Photo via Executive Committee of Silk Road International Film Festival (Xi'an)]

Themed on "Silk Road for a Connected World, Films in Bright Chang'an", this year's Silk Road International Film Festival included seven main sections, namely "Golden Silk Road Awards" competition section, the opening and red-carpet ceremony, Night of Films, Film Panorama, Film Forum, Power of Films and the awards ceremony. These activities were designed to enhance cultural exchanges, people connectivity and mutual understanding on the civilizations along the Silk Road.

The red-carpet ceremony [Photo via Executive Committee of Silk Road International Film Festival (Xi'an)]

There were 1,598 films from 90 countries and regions submitted for the "Golden Silk Road Awards" competition section. After several rounds of selection, 19 outstanding films entered the final race. Ten professional awards were announced on January 2, 2023. Seven well-known filmmakers from home and abroad were invited to form an international review committee, chaired by the Chinese Director Diao Yinan.

Singing and dancing at the opening ceremony [Photo via Executive Committee of Silk Road International Film Festival (Xi'an)]

"Golden Silk Road Awards" competition section · Feature Films [Photo via Executive Committee of Silk Road International Film Festival (Xi'an)]

At the end of the opening ceremony, all the participants chorus "I Love You China." [Photo via Executive Committee of Silk Road International Film Festival (Xi'an)]

Since its establishment in 2014 with the official approval of China, the Silk Road International Film Festival has been hosted by Fuzhou and Xi'an alternately for eight times annually. With their distinctive characteristics, the event and the international film festivals in Shanghai, Beijing and Hainan Island integrate well with one another. By leveraging films as a bridge, the 9th Silk Road International Film Festival continued to tell China's stories well, exhibit cultural confidence, and fully showcase the new achievements and works of film development in countries along the Silk Road.