Camera, lights . . . friendship!

The enhanced relationship between China and Russia has led to more cooperation between the two countries in culture and the arts - including film.

So said Tong Gang, deputy director of the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television, at the opening ceremony of China Film Festival on Nov 7.

Being held in Moscow and Rostov-on-Don, the 2016 festival runs from Nov 8 to 27.

China's Deputy Prime Minister Liu Yandong and her Russian counterpart Olga Golodets attended the opening ceremony in Moscow and together kicked off the event.

It started with a screening of Jackie Chan's new movie Skiptrace, which is popular not only with Chinese audiences but lots of Russians as well.

Although the movie was scheduled to start at 4 pm, fans with tickets were waiting outside the Kocmos Cinema from 1 pm. Other Russians who didn't have tickets were eager to catch a glimpse of Jackie Chan himself.

Nataliya Noskova, a Russian guide and translator, says at present there aren't many Chinese films showing in Russia, but there is a large potential market because stars such as Chan and Jet Li are extremely popular.

"Jackie Chan is the most famous Chinese actor in Russia," she says. "Russian kids have been watching his action movies for decades."

Vladimir Medinsky, minister of culture in Russia, says film exchange between Russia and China has been very steady since President Xi Jinping and President Vladimir Putin agreed in 2013 to hold an annual film festival in each country.

Medinsky says Russian films have won a greater Chinese audience in the past few years and the two countries have started to make movies together, with stories about both.

Tong says lots of films made with the cooperation of China and Russia have gained positive responses from Chinese audiences.

He says China's film administration selected seven movies for the 2016 festival that give an insight into the latest developments in the Chinese film industry, as well as showing the character of Chinese people to Russian audiences.

The atmosphere at the opening ceremony reached a peak of excitement when Chan, China's celebrity ambassador to the festival, made a personal appearance at the cinema. He said China and Russia had much in common - kind people, a vast land area and a long cultural history.

Chan said that by watching these seven movies and more in the future, Russian people could understand more about Chinese culture and history.

Noskova agrees. Having studied Chinese at Moscow State University and living in China for years, she says the country has an attractive culture and history, and watching films is one of the best ways for ordinary people to find out about them. She suggests the film administrations of both countries cooperate even more closely and introduce more Chinese films to Russia.

"I think there should be more Chinese movies in Russian cinema. I believe Russian audiences will want to buy tickets for good Chinese films," Noskova says.

renqi@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily Africa Weekly 11/11/2016 page14)