Chinese Film Week, as a part of the cultural exchange program "Experience China in Israel," opened at the Tel Aviv Cinematheque in downtown Tel Aviv on October 18. Seven Chinese movies, all produced in recent years, will be shown across the nation this week.

Both Chinese and Israeli officials, as well as a Chinese film delegation, delivered speeches to launch the week's movies.

Zhao Jun, China's ambassador to the State of Israel, gave a brief introduction to the development of the Chinese movie industry. Citing the blockbusters in the Chinese market such as "Hero" (Ying Xiong), "House of Flying Daggers" (Shi Mian Mai Fu) and "Assembly" (Ji Jie Hao), Mr. Zhao explained how fast the Chinese movie industry is growing. He also recalled that 10 Chinese movies were showed in Tel Aviv, Haifa and Jerusalem last year, and believes that Israeli people can learn even more about ordinary Chinese people's lives from the movies to be screened during the festival.

An Israeli official spoke about the importance of the China-Israel cultural exchange program, which marks the 17th anniversary of the two nations' diplomatic relations. Mentioning the program's opening show, "My Dream," which was presented by the China Disabled People's Performing Arts Troupe, the official gave highly favorable comments of the show. Meanwhile, he said this movie week could help the Israeli people learn more about China.

Following the speech, the audience watched a screening of "The Park" (Gong Yuan), a movie about family relations in China.

Comments