Foshan to host Golden Rooster film festival

The 27th China Golden Rooster and Hundred Flowers Film Festival, the only national-level film event and one of the most influential film festivals on the Chinese Mainland, is set to be held in Foshan, Guangdong province from Oct 31 to Nov 3.

Foshan has been hosting the annual event for 20 years, since 1997, when it held the sixth China Golden Rooster and Hundred Flowers Film Festival.

During the four-day festival, a total of 32 events divided into five main categories will be organized in Foshan, offering locals a great opportunity to interact with film stars, directors, scriptwriters, and artists from around the world.

A special mobilization session was held in Foshan, where government officials discussed how to host a successful film event. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com]

On May 15, a special mobilization session was held in the city, where government officials, including Zhu Wei, mayor of Foshan, discussed how to create a distinct and successful film festival, hoping to turn it into a calling card for Foshan and use it to boost the local film industry.

After its 40 years of development since the Reform and Opening-up, Foshan is now capable of hosting large-scale events due to the great advancements it has made in economy, hardware facilities, and support services, said Zhu.

Zhu Wei (M), mayor of Foshan, speaks at the meeting on May 15. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

"As a famous national historic and cultural city, Foshan should raise its cultural consciousness, build up cultural confidence, and strive to deliver more tangible results by thoroughly planning and preparing for the film festival," he added. 

Zhang Hong, vice president of the China Film Association, also delivered a speech at the meeting, discussing the details of the film festival, which includes an opening ceremony, award ceremony, red carpet show, and related film exhibitions.

Zhang Hong, vice president of the China Film Association, gives a speech at the mobilization meeting. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

According to Zhang, around 50 Chinese movies and 30 foreign movies will be shown in Foshan during the film festival and a special activity will be organized where local residents will be invited to select their favorite movie, director, actor and actress.