The Focus on China section, which aims to introduce more Chinese films to Europe, will be returning to the Venice International Film Festival (VIFF) for its third year, organizers announced at a launch ceremony held at the Embassy of Italy in Beijing recently. The Italian Film Audiovisual and Multimedia Industries Association and Xinhuanet jointly launched the “Focus on China” forum at the Venice International Film Festival in 2016, with the hope it could further promote Sino-Italian and Sino-European interaction in the field of movies and culture. The event Focus on China is part of the official program of Venice International Film Festival and of the industry program Production Bridge.
Organized by institutions including Italy’s film bureau and ANICA as well as the China Film Co-production Company, the three-day Focus on China section this year will feature a series of film events including two forums on Chinese films attended by Chinese and overseas filmmakers and a number of screenings and recommendation events for selected Chinese movies such as the 2018 movie THE ROAD NOT TAKEN.
The focus on China section has received a lot of attention over the past two years and the third session this year is set to deepen the relationship between the two countries when it comes to the film industry, said Ettore Francesco Sequi, Italy’s Ambassador to China, at the Wednesday ceremony.
Renowned Chinese actor Zhao Lixin and actress Chen Chong were appointed the Focus on China ambassadors at the ceremony. Chen expressed her willingness at the ceremony, “I long for being this image ambassador because I live in different cultural environments. I hope to well convey the best culture of China to other parts of the world.” Zhao Lixin also feels honored in his new role: “Italy is a place full of charm, where I’ve just been to. This solidifies my determination of trying my best to tell Italian people the charm of modern Chinese films by taking advantage of this international film exchange platform.”
Venice is an important hub of ancient maritime silk road. In the context of promoting and strengthening the Belt and Road cultural exchanges, “Focus on China” will facilitate disseminating China’s voice and telling Chinese stories in aid of the great cultural event Venice International Film Festival which captures worldwide attention.
（Source:Global Times）