TEHRAN – Iranian film “No.3 Azar Shahr. Street” by Kambiz Safari is competing in the 7th Silk Road International Film Festival, which is currently underway in the Chinese city of Xi’an.

Starring Atila Pesyani and Behnaz Jafari, the film centers on Roja, a migrant woman who has lost her husband in Germany and returns to his home country (Iran) to manage his inheritance, only to realize he had a child from another marriage which complicates the situation.

With the theme “Silk Road Links the World, Film Connects Cultures” the festival this year aims to create a professional and international film event, while promoting and displaying the new image of the Chinese city in the new era.

In order to let the films enter the lives of the public and get close to the fans, this year’s Silk Road International Film Festival has set up many outdoor screens, covering the whole province of Shaanxi for the first time.

More than 500 films from home and abroad are being shown in major cinemas, online platforms and outdoor squares in Shaanxi in the event that started September 25.

During the festival, which will run until October 16, nearly 200 classic cinema films have been selected to be screened in about 40 outdoor places, including six landmark buildings, five large enterprises, three universities and four large communities in Xi’an, setting off a new upsurge for community outdoor movie watching.

Established in 2014 and hosted alternately by Shaanxi and southeast China’s Fujian provinces, the Silk Road International Film Festival has become a festival for filmmakers in countries and regions along the Belt and Road, a grand event of film art and an engine for the development of the film industry.

Previously the Silk Road Film Festival had successfully been held three times in Xi’an, with the participation of domestic and foreign superstars including Jackie Chan, Sophia Marceau, Renny Harlin, Kara Wai, Angie Chiu and nearly 5,000 filmmakers from more than 50 countries.

The Silk Road International Film Festival aims at using the art of light and shadow to build a cultural bridge connecting countries along the Silk Road, promoting cultural exchanges and cooperation between these countries and regions. 

Photo: A scene from “No.3 Azar Shahr. Street” by Kambiz Safari.

RM/MMS/YAW