On November 23, the "Chinese Film Festival 2025" grandly opened at the National Film Corporation of Sri Lanka in Colombo. The opening ceremony was honored by the presence of Ambassador Qi Zhenhong, Deputy Minister of Religious and Cultural Affairs Hon. Muneer Mulaffer, and Deputy Director of the China Film Archive Mr. Lin Siwei.The event was also attended by over 200 guests comprising high-level Sri Lankan government officials, representatives of the diplomatic corps, overseas Chinese, and media organizations, who gathered to celebrate this significant cultural occasion.
Qi Zhenhong emphasized that film is an artistic medium that transcends language barriers. He stated that the Chinese Film Festival 2025, through the power of cinematic imagery, helps the Sri Lankan people gain a deeper understanding of China's historical and cultural heritage as well as its contemporary development achievements, effectively fostering heart-to-heart connections between the peoples of the two nations. He expressed his hope that the Sri Lankan friends would take this film festival as an opportunity to further understand a real, multi-dimensional, and vibrantly developing contemporary China.
Mulaffer remarked that culture serves as a vital bond connecting the peoples of Sri Lanka and China. He affirmed that Sri Lanka cherishes the long-standing cultural exchanges between the two countries and looks forward to strengthening the foundation of Sri Lanka-China friendship through cultural interactions, promoting deeper and broader practical cooperation in the future.
Following the opening ceremony, guests and audience members watched the opening film "The Wandering Earth." The film, with its stunning audiovisual presentation and cross-cultural emotional resonance, received an enthusiastic response. Many audience stayed after the screening to exchange their views and left heartfelt messages in the guestbook.
The festival is jointly organized by the Chinese Embassy in Sri Lanka and the National Film Administration of China, and co-hosted by the China Film Archive, the National Film Corporation of Sri Lanka, and SCOPE Cinemas. It is structured in two phases: warm-up screenings and official screenings. Notably, the warm-up screenings were held at Sri Lanka's only IMAX theater, marking the first time Chinese films were screened in this format in Sri Lanka, generating a warm response from the local public. Throughout the festival, over 3,000 participants, including Sri Lankan dignitaries, film industry professionals, primary and secondary school students, and film enthusiasts, attended the screenings. Xinhua News Agency, People's Daily, CCTV, Phoenix TV, as well as SLRC, Daily Mirror, Ceylon Today, and Virakesari have widely reported on the event.
