Chinese Film Festival promises spectacle again

PARAMARIBO The fourth Chinese Film Festival starting this weekend promises to be another true spectacle. For three consecutive weekends, cinema-goers will be able to enjoy different film genres including comedy, drama, action, romance, fantasy, adventure and animation. A total of eight Chinese films with English subtitles will be screened, says Ambassador Liu Quan of the People’s Republic of China. The diplomat says that the three previous film festivals held in TBL-Cinemas have been a real success. Last year’s festival, for example, attracted more than a thousand visitors. A development that suits him well, because this cultural event has given Surinamese people a different image of China, which also gives them a better understanding of the country and its people. He explains that in the past decades China has achieved great successes in the political, economic, scientific and cultural fields. To take the film industry as an example: last year alone, China produced more than a thousand films with a total of almost USD 9 billion in box office. “China now has the second largest film market in the world, with a large number of films demanding international recognition,” says the Chinese ambassador with some pride. Compared to last year, the film festival was not held in October, but in July.

The selection of the films has also been carefully considered. Some of the films are blockbuster hits: some have won national or international awards. “I believe that people of different ages and artistic tastes will get their money’s worth. Like last year, all films are free of charge. Interested parties can collect the tickets in advance on the day of the screening at TBL-Cinemas on a firstcome, firstserved basis,” says Liu. The festival starts on 12 July with the film Kung Fu Yoga and lasts until 28 July. In Kung Fu Yoga Jackie Chan, Disha Patani and Amyra Dastur, among others, will play.