Tunisian Film Festival opens in Beijing

The 2010 Tunisian Film Festival kicked off in Beijing on Monday. The 8-day event brings movie buffs in the capital four Tunisia-made films that have won rave reviews in the North African country.

Chinese director Wang Quan'an, whose "Tuya's Marriage" won big at the 2007 Berlin Film Festival and the Carthage International Film Festival of Tunisia, has taken on the responsibility of promoting the Tunisian Film Festival in Beijing as its cultural ambassador. Wang's latest effort "Apart Together" was chosen as the opening film at the 60th Berlin International Film Festival. Wang says winning a trophy at the festival is not most important.

Poster of 2010 Tunisian Film Festival

Wang Quan'an, director, said, "I'm honored my film opened the 60th Berlin Film Festival. The movie's Chinese name 'Tuan Yuan' means something auspicious. For our Chinese we think 60 years is an eternal cycle of birth and death. I hope my film injects new power and vigor into the Berlin Film Festival, which is now in its 60th year."

The Tunisian Film Festival in Beijing is co-organized by the State Administration of Radio Film and Television of China, and the Tunisian Embassy in China. The four films in the festival boast various styles and subject matters, and represent the highest level of filmmaking in Tunisia.

Organizers hope the festival will offer a platform for cinema-goers in China to learn more about the Northern African country, its hospitable people and its splendid culture.