The Fifth China Film Week in Dubai was co-hosted by the Consulate-General of China in Dubai and China Film Administration from October 31 to November 6 to  expand film and television exchanges and enhance friendship between China and the UAE. The opening ceremony was attended and addressed by Li Xuhang, Consul-General of China in Dubai, and Lu Liang, Deputy Commissioner of China Film Administration, on October 31. Also attending the event were nearly 200 guests, including royal members of the relevant emirates in the consular district, Sheikh Majid Al Mualla (Chairman of the Board of Directors at Hala China), and representatives of Chinese companies and overseas Chinese.

In his speech, Li Xuhang highlighted Chinese films’ role in carrying on excellent culture, depicting real life and writing the characters of the times. This art form helps world audiences peer into the great development achievements of China in the new era and the glory and dream of the ancient and modern oriental civilization to enable Chinese modernization. He hoped the Chinese Film Week to bring unique audiovisual enjoyment to the audience and draw in the distance between each other’s hearts to inject new energy for building a China-Arab community of shared future.

Lu Liang compared films to a bridge to deepen mutual understanding of civilizations and promote heart-to-heart connection and a cultural messenger to drive economic development and industrial cooperation. He anticipated intensive and all-around exchanges and cooperation between the Chinese and Arab film industries to lay a stronger cultural foundation for co-developing the Belt and Road Initiative.

This Chinese Film Week features six Chinese films, including One and Only, Chang An, The Wandering Earth II, Love Never Ends, Lost in the Stars, and Creation of the Gods I: Kingdom of Storms. Director Dapeng, Producer Chen Zhixi and actor Qiaozhi of the opening film One and Only and Producer Yu Zhou of Chang An came to the opening ceremony to interact with Dubai film fans.