Chinese film week opens in Yangon

Chinese movie week opened in Myanmar's Yangon Monday under the culture exchange program of Myanmar and China.

The opening ceremony was attended by Chinese Ambassador to Myanmar Li Junhua, Managing Director of Myanma Motion Picture Enterprise under the Ministry of Information U Aung Myo Myint and Cultural Counselor of the Chinese Embassy Gao Hua, as well as the Chinese film delegation, led by Tong Gang, Director General of the Film Bureau of the State Administration of Radio, Film and TV ( SARFT) of China, along with the leading actress of "Aftershock" Xu Fan.

U Aung Myo Myint said at the event that "Our Myanmar movie circle would like to make greater efforts to push Myanmar-China exchange and cooperation to a higher stage."

"Holding such film festival will help Myanmar people understand about Chinese history, culture and quality of Chinese art and movie production,"Tong Gang also said, "I hope this festival will enhance the mutual understanding and friendship between peoples of the two countries."

Of the six selected Chinese popular movies to be screened in the festival, "Aftershock", which features the story of 1976 Tangshan earthquake and won the highest box office in China, was introduced on the first day of the festival and Xu Fan met with Myanmar audiences.

The other films are "I do", "Sophie's Revenge", "City Monkey"," Full Circle", "Flying Daggers at the Dragon Gate".

On the occasion, the Chinese delegation had discussions with their Myanmar counterparts on matters related to movie sector cooperation and a cooperation agreement was signed between China Movie Channel and Myanmar Radio and Television (MRTV).

Myanmar and China have been cooperating in the movie sector with Myanmar films participating in film festivals held annually in China.

In May 2011, Chinese movie week festival was held in both Myanmar's new capital of Nay Pyi Taw and the former capital of Yangon. Five films including "Walking to School", "Bodyguards and Assassins", "Jing Tian Dong Di", "Confucius" and "Sky Fighters" were screened.

In October 2010, Myanmar took part in the 19th China Golden Rooster and Hundred Flowers Film Festival with the film "Shade of Past" screened in Jiang Yin of China's Jiangsu Province.