Filmmakers from member and observer states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization receive the Special Jury Awards at the SCO Film Festival. The awards went to the films Yo'L Bo'Lsin (Uzbekistan), Air Safar (Tajikistan), Mermaid (Iran), Punjab Nahi Jaungi (Pakistan) and Tum-Pabi-Dum (Belarus). [Photo provided to China Daily]

The curtain has dropped on the first SCO Film Festival, an event that gathered together talent from the 12 Shanghai Cooperation Organization member and observer states to boost cultural exchanges and cinematic cooperation.

On the closing night, the Chinese movie Enter the Forbidden City and Mina Walking from Afghanistan jointly won the best picture prize of the Golden Seagull Awards, the festival's top honor. Yosef Baraki, the filmmaker behind Mina Walking-a 110-minute tale of a 12-year-old Afghan street seller named Mina-took home the award for best director.

Directed by veteran filmmaker Hu Mei and starring actress Ma Yili, Enter the Forbidden City recounts the rise of Peking Opera under the reign of emperor Qianlong during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). It was also the opening film of the festival.

Nearly 60 movies were screened more than 260 times in 10 cinemas around Qingdao, Shandong province, for nearly 50,000 people during the five-day festival.

"It was the first time that most of the movies had been screened in China. It gives Chinese audiences a chance to see films with unique characteristics that represent the respective countries' cinematic culture," says Sun Xianghui, director of the China Film Archive.

"Some films from Afghanistan were widely praised by the selection panel. These movies revealed an authentic, modern country that is quite different from the image of Afghanistan depicted in most Western movies," says Sun.

Actress Ruby Lin and actor Duan Yihong announce the best actor award on the closing night of the festival. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Other than the awards, plans for a series of projects aimed at developing cinematic exchanges among the eight SCO member states and four observer nations were unveiled.

The Beijing Film Academy, one of China's top film schools, launched a training program offering scholarships to young filmmakers from the SCO member countries to study cinema in China. Operating under a quota system, the scholarships will be offered annually over the next three years.

The China Film Co Ltd, the country's largest State-owned studio, launched a project to invite movie regulators and industry insiders from the SCO states to attend seminars aimed at introducing the Chinese movie industry and showcasing its latest filmmaking technology.

The latest SCO project was also unveiled at the film festival. A coproduction between teams from China and Pakistan, The Journey is a film inspired by a true story that took place on the Karakoram Highway, one of the world's highest paved roads, constructed by the two countries.

Singers and dancers from SCO nations perform at the closing ceremony. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Penned by award-winning scriptwriter Wang Haiping, the film will be shot in Qingdao, the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region and Pakistan, and is scheduled to open by the end of 2019.

Wang says the movie will feature a dedicated protagonist leading a convoy of vehicles who has to overcome adverse weather conditions-from mudslides to avalanches-to join the main highway construction team.

During the festival's Film Market, a highlighted section held from June 14 to 15, nearly a dozen Chinese companies signed memorandums to show their intentions to purchase 11 films, including Indian drama Sultan and Night Accident from Kyrgyzstan and the Russian title, Night Watchman.

For most industry insiders and filmmakers, the festival is an ideal opportunity to celebrate the diversity of cinema, and demonstrate how a story with universal value can travel beyond borders.

"In recent years, some non-Hollywood foreign movies have scored high box-office revenues in China, which shows that Chinese audiences are becoming more accepting of, and discerning about, good stories," says Fu Ruoqing, president of Huaxia Film Distribution Co, during one of the festival's forums on the theme of cooperation.

He adds that many of these box-office hits showcased their country's landscapes and customs, while recounting positive and uplifting tales of compassion that resonate with local audiences.

As one of the Chinese distributors behind the Indian hits Dangal, PK and Secret Superstar, and Russian blockbuster He Is A Dragon, Huaxia has launched an alliance to introduce more movies from countries involved in the Belt and Road Initiative, says Fu.

The Chinese movie Enter the Forbidden City opens the SCO Film Festival and is a winner of the best picture prize. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Han Sanping, who presided over the 12-member jury panel to select the winners of the Golden Seagull Awards, believes Chinese filmmakers can learn from their counterparts in the SCO nations, especially about their focus on making stories with a strong human interest.

And just as Chinese voiced their desire to see more quality imports from the SCO nations, many of the foreign filmmakers were quick to echo their sentiments.

Renowned actor, and head of the Russian delegation, Sergei Puskepalis, says there has been a growing interest among Russian audiences to see more Chinese films screened in their country in recent years.

Pakistani producer-director Momina Duraid Qureshi says she was keen to reach out to Chinese postproduction companies about using their services for her movies, since Pakistan faces a shortage of these kinds of facilities.

She also believes the growth of the Chinese population in Pakistan in recent years will provide more inspiration for coproductions.

"My youngest son is 8 years old. His best friend is a Chinese boy," says Qureshi, suggesting it as an example of how a cross-cultural friendship could be developed into an interesting movie.

"China's film industry is growing very fast. It's not only doing well domestically," observes Asef Baraki, the Afghan producer of Mina Walking. "But it's also becoming influential abroad. As a result, we look forward to cooperating more with Chinese filmmakers."