Chinese blockbusters showcased in Bishkek, strengthening cultural exchange with Kyrgyzstan

"Reel China" Premium Screening, a curated showcase of Chinese blockbusters, opened in Kyrgyzstan's capital Bishkek on Wednesday, drawing nearly 300 guests to its launch ceremony.

The program featured films such as "Shenzhou 13", China's first 8K space movie, and "Pegasus 3", a high‑profile sports drama, selections chosen to highlight both the country's technological advances in filmmaking and the vitality of its popular culture.

At the launch, Talantbek Tolobekov, head of Kyrgyzstan's Cinematography Department, said the screening gave audiences a glimpse of modern China. He voiced hope that "Reel China" would mark a new phase of cooperation between the two countries and serve as a bridge for innovative collaboration and people‑to‑people ties among filmmakers.

The opening film Shenzhou 13, China's first 8K movie shot in space, moved audiences with its sweeping cosmic imagery and intimate storytelling. Organizers said the program will continue in Bishkek over the coming weeks, with additional titles from the curated showcase scheduled to reach local viewers.

Chinese blockbusters showcased in Bishkek, strengthening cultural exchange with Kyrgyzstan

Filipino demonstrators gathered outside the Japanese embassy in Manila, the Philippine's capital, on Friday to commemorate the victims of Japan's wartime military sexual slavery, commonly referred to as "comfort women," seeking justice for these victims, and opposing war and military expansion.

The protesters, including family members of sexual slavery victims and civil society members, urged the Philippine government to expedite the passage of a bill designating August 14 as the national Memorial Day for "Comfort Women."

In 2012, the 11th Asian Alliance Conference for "Comfort Women" designated August 14 as the International Memorial Day for "Comfort Women."

An estimated 200,000 women from China and many others from the Korean Peninsula, the Philippines, Indonesia and some other countries, euphemistically known as "comfort women", were forced into sexual servitude by Japanese troops. Many of them died.

During the Japanese occupation of the Philippines from 1942 to 1945, an estimated 1,000 Filipino women were forcibly conscripted as "comfort women."

Protest in Manila commemorates victims of Japan's wartime sexual slavery