Belt and Road Film Week concludes with Shanghai tours and awards ceremony

The 27th Shanghai International Film Festival Belt and Road Film Week featured events like the Belt and Road Lifestyle Market and "Travel with Films." Filmmakers from various countries visited places such as Xinchang Ancient Town, Bicester Village Shanghai and the Shanghai Pudong Art Museum.

Xinchang Ancient Town, one of the filming locations for renowned director Ang Lee's movie "Lust, Caution," offered filmmakers experiences such as appreciating traditional Suzhou pingtan opera, tasting Chinese tea and pastries, learning about traditional Chinese medicine culture and making Chinese herbal sachets. The scenery of the ancient town prompted frequent stops for photos.

Filmmakers praised Chinese culture in interviews with CGTN. Mexican director Urzula Barba Hopfner said, "This is my first time in China. China is stunning, and I can feel the openness and inclusiveness of the people here towards different cultures. I believe this is exactly what the current global environment needs – not debating which culture is better, but approaching all cultures with an open attitude."

Hungarian director Balint Szimler remarked, "This is my first time in Shanghai, everything feels fresh to me. The music we just heard was utterly fascinating."

German director Julia Roesler added, "The old architecture and musical culture here are both captivating. I just tried making a Chinese sachet, which was a wonderful opportunity for me to understand the differences between Chinese medical culture and Western medical culture."

On Friday night, the Charm Pudong Gala Night was held at the Pudong Art Museum. This year's Film Week screening section showcased a diverse range of 15 films from Belt and Road partner countries. Over the past week, more than 2,000 audience members voted for their favorite films. The gala event announced the honors for Audience Commendation and Audience Choice Award.

"Traffic" from Romania, Belgium and the Netherlands and "The Shore of Life" from China jointly received the Audience Commendation honor, while "Corina" from Mexico won the Audience Choice Award. "Corina" has also been selected as a CGTN's Picks film.