Luc Bendza (second right), the first representative of the African Film Association in Asia, arrives on the red carpet of the Ninth Silk Road International Film Festival in Xi’an, Shaanxi Province, on 1 January (COURTESY)

On New Year’s Eve 2023, the celebratory mood was once again present in Xi’an, capital of Shaanxi Province, thanks to China’s optimised response to COVID-19. A popular tourist destination in the city that showcases the ancient way of life of the Tang Dynasty (618-907) drew more than 60,000 people in only one evening. 

As the cherry on top, the Ninth Silk Road International Film Festival (SRIFF) began one day before New Year’s Eve in this historic Chinese city. During the five-day festival, more than 200 films from 51 nations and regions, including 24 from countries along the Belt and Road routes, were presented in theatres and online. A total of 10,000 free tickets were given out to spectators so that everyone may enjoy this cultural feast. 

Beautiful minds meet 

As part of the national Silk Road Film Bridge Project, SRIFF aims to promote cultural exchange and cooperation between countries along the Belt and Road routes, while encouraging the development of China’s audiovisual industry. Since its inception in 2014, the annual event has been held alternately in Xi’an and Fuzhou, capital of Fujian Province. This year’s event was jointly organised by China Media Group and the provincial governments of Shaanxi and Fujian, which are respectively the starting point of the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road. 

“The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) will celebrate its tenth anniversary in 2023. The SRIFF encourages communication and cross-cultural learning. The festival has steadily gained fame in the film world,” said Shen Haixiong, president of China Media Group, at the opening ceremony of the festival on 1 January. 

A total of 19 films made it to the final phase of the Golden Silk Road competition, which attracted approximately 1,600 entries from 90 different nations and regions. Ten prizes were announced at the ceremony on 3 January, including Best Film, Best Director, Best Actor, and Best Actress. 

The greatest winner was Lukas Dhont’s Close, a Belgian, Dutch, and French co-production about the bond between two boys. It won two significant honours, including Best Film and Best Director. Best Animated Film went to Florence Miailhe’s The Crossing, while Best Documentary went to Children of the Mist from Vietnam. 

Internationally famous Chinese and foreign filmmakers made up the jury, which was led by Chinese director Diao Yinan and included Hungarian director and screenwriter Ildikó Enyedi. “Each of the films that made the short list gave us a unique and diverse experience. Some filmmakers are just beginning their careers, yet their works are remarkable, which is really inspirational,” said Diao. 

The opening ceremony of the Ninth Silk Road International Film Festival is held in Xi’an, Shaanxi Province, on 1 January (XINHUA) 

A platform for cooperation 

For Luc Bendza, the first representative in Asia of the African Film Association, his first participation in this year’s festival can be described as a “very inspiring and fruitful” experience. In addition to being invited to present the competing animated films to the audience at the opening ceremony, he also took part in the Silk Road Film Resource Sharing and Win-Win Cooperation Forum, one of the festival’s seven sidelines, on 2 January. 

“SRIFF is a wonderful venue for filmmakers from diverse backgrounds to interact and discuss ideas for potential collaboration,” Bendza told ChinAfrica. He had the chance to submit a Sino-African co-production project that he had been thinking about for a while to the speakers at the round table. In fact, he has already found a seasoned Nigerian filmmaker who wants to shoot a movie about Sino-African friendship before he even left for this trip. He has also pitched many script concepts to a renowned Chinese producer, trying to fuse parts of traditional Chinese cultures, such as kungfu or Peking Opera, with African passion, music, or sport. “We want to make a movie that is equally concerned with ideology and viewing value,” said Bendza. 

But he was struggling to find funds to make his project a reality. At the forum, his speech attracted the attention of the heads of China Film Foundation and Changchun Film Studio Group Corp., who said they were very inspired by his idea and were willing to cooperate with the African Film Association on this co-production. After this meeting, the stakeholders have already embarked on the next step, which is to choose a theme and then develop a script together. 

During the festival, Bendza was delighted to find a number of excellent films from participating Belt and Road nations including Vietnam, Nepal and Cambodia. But he regretted the lack of African innovations. The following editions of SRIFF would feature African filmmakers, he promised, adding that “I will bring representative films from the continent to the Chinese public.” 

He has high hopes for the Chinese film industry. Statistics show that the box office of China’s film market during the New Year holiday reached 550 million yuan ($81.24 million). 

It is an indication that the market is gradually rebounding following the relaxation of health restrictions, according to analysts.   

Full List of Winners of the Ninth Silk Road International Film Festival 

Best Film Award: Close by Lukas Dhont  

Best Director Award: Lukas Dhont for Close  

Best Screenplay Award: Zhang Lu for Yanagawa 

Best Actress Award: Essie Davis for The Justice of Bunny King  

Best Actor Award: Pål Sverre Hagen for The Middle Man  

Best New Director Award: Jasmine Trinca for Marcel! 

Best Photography Award: Gökhan Tiryaki for Once Upon a Time in Calcutta 

Best Visual Effects Award: The Battle at Lake Changjin II 
by Dante Lam, Chen Kaige and Tsui Hark 

Best Documentary Award: Children of the Mist by Ha Le Diem 

Best Animation Film Award: The Crossing by Florence Miailhe