SCO Film Festival concludes in Chongqing

The 2025 the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Film Festival concluded in China's Chongqing Municipality on Sunday, with multiple supportive policies released in a bid to boost the China's film-making industry.

The film festival, held from Thursday to Monday, attracts filmmakers from Russia, Belarus, Pakistan and other SCO member states to present films of their respective countries.

The event also gathered over 40 domestic film enterprises to present the latest advancements in film technology and production.

The policies rolled out at this year's SCO Film Festival are designed to nurture and empower film-making entities.

They offer subsidies for company establishment and facility construction, and provide comprehensive support across multiple areas, including script creation and trading, film distribution and screening, technological innovation, and talent attraction and development.

To encourage companies in China to produce films in Chongqing, subsidies will be provided for both the service fees incurred during filming and the technical services in post-production.

The maximum cumulative subsidy for a single project can reach up to 35 percent.

Thanks to these policies, 23 major film and television projects, as well as 19 TV drama projects, have been signed in Chongqing. These projects cover cutting-edge fields, including digital production, smart imaging, prop library construction, and artificial intelligence (AI) empowerment centers.

"The policies released this time are more targeted, which strengthened our determination to bring our subjects to Chongqing," said Xu Shenjun, head of a film-making company.

"This is a good opportunity, so we'll seize it. We're planning to start filming a movie in October and will begin collaborating with Yongchuan," said Liu Liming, head of another film-making company.

With the theme "Technology and Film, Charm of the SCO," the film festival, spans five days and features forums on international cooperation, tech exhibitions, tourism initiatives, and drone light shows.

Highlights of the film festival also include screenings of dozens of outstanding films from SCO member countries and the announcement of winners of the Jinshancha (Golden Camellia) Awards at the closing ceremony on Sunday.

This year marks the 130th anniversary of world cinema and the 120th anniversary of Chinese cinema. The SCO Film Festival stands as a key cultural event alongside the SCO Summit, offering a powerful platform for storytelling, collaboration and mutual understanding.

SCO Film Festival concludes in Chongqing

Hong Kong's first astronaut lifted off into space on Sunday, sparking a wave of enthusiasm for space exploration in the special administrative region, while inspiring a new generation to look to the stars.

The Shenzhou-23 crewed spaceship, atop a Long March-2F carrier rocket, blasted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China at 23:08 (Beijing Time) on Sunday. The crew members include Lai Ka-ying, the first astronaut and payload specialist from Hong Kong to join a national space mission, whose achievements have motivated many Hong Kong residents.

"I feel so happy and thrilled. This is the first time a Hong Kong astronaut has gone to space, and to see a true Hong Konger, who is also a mother of three, just really touches my heart," said Chow, a local resident.

The successful spaceflight of Lai has especially captivated the younger generation to dream bigger about the future.

"I want to be an astronaut, because I want to discover more things about space," said a young student surnamed Chow.

"I have seen things related to spaceflights of astronauts. I hope when I grow up, I could receive training and go to space myself," said another student surnamed Koo.

To meet public expectations, the Hong Kong Space Museum has updated its space-themed exhibition with the latest development of the Shenzhou-23 mission, extending the display until July 6. Parents are seizing the moment to enrich their children's knowledge.

"At his age, I want him to be exposed to a wide range of information. With all the recent astronaut news, I brought him here specially to see for himself. We will also check out a film about space knowledge at the planetarium. I hope he can get more out of this from an early age," said Cheung, a father.

"We just watched the Shenzhou-23 launch at home with my son last night, and decided to take him to the Space Museum," a mother surnamed Chun shared.

"I saw on TV that so many people were cheering for the launch. When the rocket was launched, fire burst out from its body. I was really happy they succeeded," said Chun's son.

Hong Kong's first astronaut ignites citywide enthusiasm over space exploration