A glittering week for Chinese films at Cairo festival

CAIRO — Brief History of a Family won the Network for the Promotion of the Asia Pacific Cinema Award as the best Asian feature film at the 45th Cairo International Film Festival, which concluded on Nov 22.

"This is my first feature film. …It's a great experience. It's very special, and I'm very happy to win the award," says director Lin Jianjie.

"I want to bring Chinese films to the international stage. I think this is a great achievement," he adds.

The film tells the story of a Chinese middle-class family and their son's mysterious friend, and focuses on the bonds within the family.

The jury statement said that the film demonstrated a subtle exploration of emotions and commended its use of imagery and sound design. "They told me it didn't look like a first feature. It was mature, and it had a distinct artistic vision," Lin says.

It was screened on Nov 23 at one of the theaters in the Cairo Opera House, where the festival was held.

There was a strong showing of Chinese films at this year's festival. One of the event's highlights was the Chinese Cinema Week, during which seven films were shown. Among them was Decoded directed by Chen Sicheng, who received the festival's Golden Pyramid honorary award.

"China has had a great cinema industry for a long time, and we used to watch Chinese films while studying filmmaking," says Egyptian director Khaled El-Hagar, a member of the International Critics Week jury.

"It is important for Egyptian and Arab audiences to watch films from different cultures such as China, India and other Asian countries, not just European and American films," he says, describing Brief History of a Family as "very interesting and intriguing".

During the 10-day festival, a memorandum of understanding was signed between the CIFF and the Beijing International Film Festival to boost cooperation in relevant areas.

"Egypt and China have had strong relations for decades, especially in the field of arts. In fact, the cinematic and artistic experiences of both countries reflect their respective civilizations and show a similarity in dramatic style," Egyptian Minister of Culture Ahmed Fouad Hanno told reporters during the closing ceremony.

He added that artistic cooperation and closeness between Egypt and China would certainly boost bilateral cultural exchange.

As for the main International Competition, the Romanian film The New Year That Never Came, by Bogdan Muresanu, won the Golden Pyramid Award, while Russia's Postmarks, and Brazil's Malu got the silver and bronze pyramids, respectively.

Launched in 1976, the CIFF is one of the oldest film festivals in the Arab world, Africa and the Middle East. This year's edition featured 190 films from more than 70 countries and regions.