President Xi Jinping's visit to the Republic of Serbia in mid June deepened the friendship between the two countries but not just diplomatically. Out of the 22 cooperations deals signed by the two countries, one included an agreement for cultural exchange through the power of cinema.

Mermaid, The Monkey King 2 and Go Away Mr. Tumor are among the six Chinese films being screened at the Belgrade University Town.

"We can see six Chinese films. Although I know very little about these films, I think they are terrific," said a student from Belgrade University.

"Through these films, I can know what Chinese film directers are interested in, which is great. I can compare films made by the two countries. Although China has a big output of films, Serbia's output is quite small. But I can compare the different fields that the two countries' directors are concerned with," said Marina, a teacher.

Former Yugoslavic films such as "Walter defends Sarajevo" and "Bridge" have influenced several generations of movie goers. Chinese films screened at the Belgrade University Town helped open a window for Serbian youngsters to learn about modern China. It will usher in future cooperation between filmmakers from the two sides. Considering Serbia has a strength in sports, the screening opened with a sports-themed movie "To the Fore".

"It is an ode to the fighting spirit of youngsters, for their striving to achieve something. I'm very excited "To The Fore" is the opening film of the screening. And I'm very anxious to see the audience's feedbacks," said Lin Chaoxian, director of "To the Fore".

China's administration of Radio, Film and Television hopes the week long screening will serve as a catalyzer, to spawn more such events in Serbia.

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