The 7th Silk Road International Film Festival kicked off in Xi'an, capital of northwest China's Shaanxi on Sept. 27. During the festival, nearly 200 classic cinema films will be shown in about 40 outdoor places, setting off a new upsurge for community outdoor movie watching.

From Sept. 25 to Oct 16, more than 500 films at home and abroad will be shown in major cinemas, online platforms and outdoor squares in Shaanxi. 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 publicizing and displaying the new image of Shaanxi in the new era.

Collecting more than 3,500 excellent films from all over the world, more than 90 percent of them are international films. A special team composed of Iranian director Asghar Farhadi, Chinese director Lu Chuan and other filmmakers have selected 17 films for special recommendation, so that moviegoers can appreciate Silk Road culture.

More than 70 percent of the 102 films shown in cinemas come from countries and regions along the Belt and Road.

Established in 2014 and hosted alternately by Shaanxi and southeast China's Fujian province, 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.