On the afternoon of May 11th local time, the 2025 Argentina "China Shanghai Film Week" and the "Charming Shanghai, Infinite Future" Shanghai City Image Exhibition opened simultaneously at the Liberty Palace in Buenos Aires and will last until the 17th.
Poster of the 2025 Argentina "China Shanghai Film Week"
"We hope that through vivid and realistic images, Argentine audiences can appreciate the vitality of contemporary China and the inclusiveness and openness of Shanghai. At the same time, we hope to use the language of film to further promote cultural exchanges and cooperation between the two countries, so that China-Argentina friendship can become more deeply rooted in the hearts of the people," said Ma Xiaohong, president of the Shanghai International Cultural Communication Association.
Film Week: Good stories resonate with people
At the opening ceremony of the 2025 Argentina "China Shanghai Film Week", the guests watched the opening film "Good Things", which was produced and shot in Shanghai and tells the story of contemporary Chinese women.
A group photo at the opening ceremony of the film week. (Photo by Wang Yuting)
"This movie is so interesting, I really like Chinese movies." Mr. Salvado, an Argentine audience member, excitedly told reporters. Salvado had never been to China and Shanghai before, and didn't know much about Chinese movies, but after watching this movie, he became very interested in China and Shanghai, and immediately discussed a travel plan to China with his wife who was sitting on the other side.
Unlike El Salvador, audience member Hugo Vincent is planning to go to Shanghai this October. Previously, because his fishery company was acquired by a subsidiary of Shanghai Fisheries Group, Hugo Vincent had visited China twice. At that time, he was impressed by China's infrastructure construction and high-speed rail transportation, but after watching the movie, he became very interested in Shanghai's urban life, which will become a new focus of his trip to Shanghai in October.
Movie viewing scene. Photo: Meng Dingbo
"Although the protagonist of the movie speaks very fast, Argentines can feel some things that hit human nature." Wang Xiaoxu, Minister Counselor of the Chinese Embassy in Argentina, who attended the opening ceremony, also watched the movie. In his opinion, Argentine audiences prefer movies that can reflect China's development and changes and make them feel the same. "Although the culture is different, the people are connected, and a good story can resonate with them." Wang Xiaoxu hopes that more excellent Chinese films can be screened in Argentina in the future.
In addition to "Good Things", during the film week from May 10 to May 17, many excellent Chinese films such as "Burning City", "Ride the Wind and Waves", "Speeding Life", "The Climbers" and "The Vanguard" will be broadcast one after another, using movies to tell good Chinese stories to Argentine audiences and show the wonderful "City of Film".
Photo exhibition: A good photo is worth a thousand words
The "Charming Shanghai, Unlimited Future" Shanghai City Image Exhibition, which opened at the same time, is the first city image promotion event held by Shanghai in Buenos Aires. The exhibits include more than 80 photographs selected from the IP SHANGHAI co-creation platform, accompanied by documentaries and short videos, presenting Shanghai's "open, innovative and inclusive" urban character, economic and social development and citizens' daily life.
Guests attended the opening ceremony of the image exhibition.
An Argentine audience stopped for a long time in front of a photo of the Shanghai Yangtze River Bridge. "I am an architect, and from a technical point of view, this building is amazing," the audience said. He had visited China many times before and saw a lot of civil engineering and infrastructure, and many places were building new things. "This is really shocking."
Local residents viewing the exhibition
Su Lianbin, a Chinese-Argentine youth, brought his whole family to visit the photo exhibition, including his 3-year-old daughter Su Xingyue. Su Lianbin runs a store in the center of Buenos Aires. In recent years, he has clearly felt that more and more Chinese tourists have come to Argentina for work and tourism. In his store, he often meets Chinese compatriots. "China has changed so much. I hope to take my daughter back to see it as soon as possible." Su Lianbin was a little impatient when talking about this plan.
Although Shanghai and Argentina are thousands of miles apart, the economic and trade structures of the two places are highly complementary and the prospects for cooperation are broad. Both movies and photos have become bridges to strengthen the understanding between the two places and enhance the friendship between the two sides.
