The Chinese Film Week in Cyprus will open on June 10 in Nicosia, marking the International Day for Dialogue among Civilisations and the 55th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and Cyprus, officials said on Thursday during a press briefing at the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Nicosia.
The Film Week, organised by the Embassy of China in Cyprus together with the China Film Administration and the Deputy Ministry of Culture, will take place from June 10 to 15 in Nicosia and Limassol. It will feature contemporary Chinese films, cultural activities and exchanges with representatives of China’s film industry.
China’s Chargé d’Affaires in Cyprus Zhou Yunliang said the event ‘carries special and far-reaching significance’, as it will promote China-Cyprus friendship and deepen exchanges between the two civilisations.
He said the development of relations between China and Cyprus over the past 55 years was ‘a vivid example of mutual learning among civilisations’, noting that the two countries, despite their geographical distance, are both ancient civilisations which have built ties on mutual respect, equality and cooperation.
‘Film is an important bridge for exchange among civilisations,’ Zhou said, adding that cinema offers audiences a window into a country’s culture, social development and the emotions of its people.
The Film Week will open at the Nicosia Municipal Theatre on June 10. Cultural activities will begin at 3.00 pm, with the support of the Confucius Institute at the University of Cyprus, followed by a youth screening of the Chinese animated film Boonie Bears: The Hidden Protector at 4.00 pm.
The opening ceremony will take place at 7.30 pm and will be followed by the premiere of the Sound of Shanghai, directed by Cypriot artist Marios Joannou Elia.
Screenings will continue in Nicosia and Limassol with films including A Table for Two, I Am What I Am, the Cantonese comedy Night King, The Shadow’s Edge, starring Jackie Chan, and the contemporary drama It’s Okay. The closing ceremony will take place on June 15 at K Cineplex in Nicosia, with the screening of Blades of the Guardians: Wind Rises in the Desert.
Most screenings will be free and open to the public, while a limited number will be by invitation only. The films will be screened in their original language with Greek and English subtitles.
Speaking on behalf of Deputy Minister of Culture Vasiliki Kassianidou, Permanent Secretary of the Deputy Ministry of Culture, George Papageorgiou, said cinema is ‘one of the most powerful ways’ for societies to come to know one another, through emotion, music and shared human experience.
He said the Deputy Ministry supports the Film Week because it believes in strengthening cultural relations between Cyprus and China, particularly in cinema, adding that the initiative opens an important door for Cyprus’ film industry and creates prospects for cooperation in co-productions, professional exchanges, festivals and training.
Papageorgiou also said Cyprus, despite being small in geographical terms, has historically served as a bridge between Europe, Asia and Africa, adding that cooperation with China is an important avenue for cultural enrichment and mutual understanding.
Director Marios Joannou Elia said the Sound of Shanghai was developed over one and a half years and explores how a city can be transformed into music. More than 250 musicians and performers took part in the project, including the China National Orchestra, while more than 2,500 audiovisual fragments were recorded across Shanghai.
He described the film as ‘an invitation to listen differently: to cities, to cultures and to one another’, adding that it is symbolic for the work to open the Chinese Film Week in Cyprus as part of a cultural dialogue between the two countries.
The press briefing also presented the international symposium ‘From Civilisational Differences to Shared Values: China-Europe Dialogue in a Multipolar World’, which will take place on June 2 at European University Cyprus.
Soteroula Yasemi, Financial and Project Manager of the Prometheus Research Institute, said the symposium will bring together experts and scholars from China, Cyprus and Europe to discuss China-Cyprus relations, China-Europe cooperation, multilateralism and civilisational dialogue.
‘In a world where divisions often dominate headlines, initiatives like this seminar serve as a reminder of the power of dialogue,’ she said.