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

Polish citizens are feeling the squeeze of surging energy costs, as the conflict in the Middle East continues to roil the international energy market,

In Poland, rising fuel prices are gradually making their way into everyday life and the real economy. Many residents said higher energy costs are taking a heavy toll.

"I do think about this issue more and try to reduce my fuel consumption. Overall, everything happening right now is unsettling," said Pawel, a Warsaw resident.

"I really feel it. Prices have gone up a lot. We're trying to cope and can manage for now. Taxi fares haven't increased yet, but it's definitely getting harder," said Wiktor, another resident.

"Of course it has affected us. Because fuel prices have gone up, everything else is more expensive and costs more now," said Anita, another local resident.

Meanwhile, those working in the transport and service sectors said rising oil prices are directly impacting their businesses.

"The courier industry, like most taxi drivers, is soon going to face closure and be forced out of business. I used to drive international long-distance buses, and honestly, some people in that sector are also thinking about quitting," said Michal, another Warsaw resident.

Lukasz Goczek, a professor from the Department of Macroeconomics and Theory of Foreign Trade at the University of Warsaw, said the continued shipping disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz, a vital global energy corridor, could leave global energy prices elevated for a long time, heavily impacting the world economy.

"Iran has this huge leverage. It's got the whole world in a chokehold because 20 percent of oil that's transported in the world goes through the Strait. It obviously means that the price of energy is going to increase. We see it at the petrol stations," said Goczek.

Goczek also noted that U.S. and Israeli military actions against Iran have dealt a serious blow to the international order.

"I think that's pretty much, by now, the international law. If it's not that, it's definitely very, very illegal. There wasn't any reason for war. It just straightforwardly began without any warning. So it was much of a surprise. We need the international order to have peace, to prosper, to have trade," said Goczek.

Rising energy costs squeeze Polish households, businesses