Domestic films a big draw at festival in Germany 2024-03-29    WANG XIN

The Pearl of the Silk Road-Shanghai Film Week in Duisburg kicks off on Wednesday in Duisburg, Germany.

Aiming to further foster cultural exchanges and facilitate the Belt and Road Initiative, the Pearl of the Silk Road-Shanghai Film Week in Duisburg kicked off on Wednesday at Theater am Marientor in Duisburg, Germany.

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping to the Port of Duisburg. To celebrate the city's role in bolstering China-Germany and China-Europe cooperation, the film festival is set to captivate audiences from March 27 to 31.

The five-day event features eight Chinese domestic films that represent Shanghai's film industry or showcase the city's charm, including Pegasus and Pegasus 2, Home Coming, Chang An, B for Busy, I Am What I Am, Godspeed and A Writer's Odyssey.

Traversing various genres such as traditional culture, comedy, romance, fantasy, sports and animation, the film lineup embodies the dynamic spirit of contemporary China, the cosmopolitan allure of Shanghai, and the enduring charm of traditional Chinese culture.

With more than 1,000 representatives in attendance, the film week kicked off with Pegasus 2, a film produced in Shanghai.

Directed by the young Chinese filmmaker Han Han and starring actor Shen Teng, this adrenaline-fueled tale centers around the journey of Zhang Chi, a resilient racing driver who defies the odds to reclaim his spot on the podium.

Dubbed the Chinese version of The Fast and the Furious, the film has raked in a whopping 3.4 billion yuan ($470.5 million) at the box office and attracted nearly 68 million audiences nationwide since its release during the past Spring Festival holiday in February.

Under the auspices of the Shanghai Film Administration and the Chinese Consulate-General in Dusseldorf, the event is co-hosted by the Shanghai Film Distribution and Exhibition Association and the Association of German-China Societies.

Edeltraud Klabuhn, first deputy mayor of Duisburg, Peter Kreutzberger, chairman of the Association of German-China Societies, Du Chunguo, the consul-general of the People's Republic of China in Dusseldorf, along with representatives from both China and Germany attended the opening event.