Exhibition showcases 120 years of Chinese cinema history

A special exhibition titled "Where Dreams Were Created" is drawing attention at the 27th Shanghai International Film Festival. Showcasing rare film artifacts and memorabilia, and the exhibition vividly traces the journey of Chinese cinema from its early days to the present.

As China celebrates 120 years since the birth of its film industry, the exhibition offers audiences a unique opportunity to explore the art, history, and cultural milestones of Chinese filmmaking.

In the "120 Years of Film History" section of exhibition, the development of Chinese cinema over the past 120 years is carefully traced through rare historical materials such as manuscripts, archival documents, and handwritten notes from filmmakers.

The exhibition features eight themed sections, covering a wide range of topics including film history, martial arts, animation, science fiction, cinematography, and virtual reality. Many of the rare items on display are being unveiled to the public for the first time.

In the Hong Kong cinema section, organizers have creatively designed the exhibition space to resemble a traditional Hong Kong-style tea restaurant. Clippings, film reels, photo albums, stills, and video footage—many of which are being exhibited on the Chinese mainland for the first time—add much to the nostalgic and immersive atmosphere.

"This section also reveals how, as directors and production companies, creators document their own journeys and view their works through the lens of personal expression. It's a powerful experience to see how their creative identities resonate with audiences and transform into remarkable influence and appreciation," said Xu Yi, curator of the exhibition.

A vintage television set at the exhibition plays restored footage from old videotapes, capturing behind-the-scenes moments of collaborations between Chinese filmmakers and their international counterparts in earlier years.

"Though what we see now is just a small videotape and a short segment of footage, it actually represents a significant milestone in the history of Chinese cinema—marking its important step onto the international stage," said Xu.

Exhibition showcases 120 years of Chinese cinema history

Deliberately targeting civilian service institutions in Iran by the United States and Israel is the biggest operational challenge facing humanitarian workers, according to Pir Hossein Kolivand, head of the Iranian Red Crescent Society.

The United States and Israel on Saturday launched strikes against Iran, plunging the war-torn Middle East into a new round of violent conflicts. Iran has retaliated with a series of counterattacks against Israel and U.S. targets across the region.

A large-scale offensive jointly conducted by Washington and Tel Aviv on Saturday struck a girls' elementary school in southern Iran's Minab, home to a military base of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, and killed over 160 pupils.

"The first attack targeted a girls' primary school in the city of Minab. It was a brutal and sad incident that was unprecedented in the history of humanity. More than 168 children aged 7, 8, and at most 9 and a half years old were martyred. The school was attacked in two phases, and unconventional weapons were used in this assault," Kolivand said.

At least seven hospitals and emergency stations in Iran, including Tehran's Gandhi Hospital, were struck by U.S. and Israeli attacks on Sunday night, causing widespread destruction and casualties.

The Iranian official framed these attacks as a fundamental violation of international laws.

"Our challenges are these direct attacks on the service providers. Just today, five of my colleagues were injured. And this is against humanitarian law, against the basic principles of the Geneva Conventions and against all international laws. One of our challenges is that international institutions are almost ineffective and we do not see any trace of it. That is, we do not feel any vital signs of it. These are our main challenges. We have no internal challenges," he said.

Iranian Red Crescent chief decries US-Israeli attacks on service institutions