On the evening of September 9th, the 12th China Film Festival in New Zealand kicked off in the country's largest city Auckland, with the opening film "Successor" presented to the local audience.

This year's film festival is jointly organized by the China Film Administration, the Chinese Embassy in New Zealand, and the Chinese Consulate General in Auckland. It is coordinated by the New Zealand Chinese Culture and Arts Exchange Center and the China Film Archive in association with the Wellington Chinese Cultural Center.

According to the organizers, since the signing of the film co-production agreement between China and New Zealand in 2010, the two countries have worked together and made major progress in various aspects of film-making, talent training, and movie exhibitions, thus boosting the film industry, promoting people-to-people exchanges, and strengthening long-standing friendships.

The festival will screen the "Wandering Earth" saga, to which Weta Workshop, New Zealand's renowned visual effects company, contributed part of the special effects and props. The movie franchise represents an illuminating success of China-New Zealand film cooperation and cultural exchange.

Running from September 9th to 23rd, this edition will showcase multiple Chinese productions ranging from the animation “Chang An” to the documentary  “Chasing Tuna in the Ocean” in cinemas across Auckland and Wellington.

(Translated by Luo Desai)