Film festival in Fujian set to award international accolades

In its 12th edition this year, the annual Silk Road International Film Festival will be held in Fuzhou, Fujian province, from Sept 22 to 26, the organizers announced on Thursday.

The festival, which has set three award categories — main competition, documentary, and animation — has received 3,500 film submissions from 135 countries and regions.

In addition, around 100 movies from 44 countries and regions, including Russia, France, Italy and Iran, will be screened in 17 cinemas in Fujian during the festival, which is expected to host over 400 guests from 30 countries and regions.

As this year marks the 70th anniversary of the historic Bandung Conference and the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Indonesia, the festival has designated Indonesia as the Country of Honor, aiming to boost cinematic exchanges between the two countries.

Acclaimed director Chen Kaige will serve as jury president of the festival's top honor, the Golden Silk Road Awards, with six other jurors in the main competition, including Chinese actress Chen Shu, Indonesian director Garin Nugroho, actor Wang Jingchun, and Italian director-screenwriter Gabriele Mainetti.

The Golden Silk Road Awards have also named additional jurors — three for the documentary category and three for animation, including Polish director Rafa? Listopad and Hong Kong director Amp Wong.

The festival will feature a dedicated cross-Strait film section for the first time, underscoring Fuzhou's role as a gateway for cultural exchange between the Chinese mainland and Taiwan.