Latin America is a region I have yet to explore, but I heard about the film 'Ghost Portraits' through my friends, who highly recommend this documentary." At the opening ceremony of the Brazilian Film Week, which began on April 20th, Dai Jiakun, a cinephile, couldn't hide her curiosity about Brazilian films.

The event is part of the 14th Beijing International Film Festival (BIFF), which opened in Beijing on April 18th and will last until the 26th of this month. Brazil is the guest of honor at this session, as this year marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Brazil.

During the Brazilian Film Week, four Brazilian films are being screened in cinemas in Beijing, namely, "Ghost Portraits," "Mars One," "A Story of Love and Fury," and "The Second Mother." Additionally, the renowned Brazilian director Carlos Saldanha, who directed the "Ice Age" animation film series, serves as a member of the international jury for this year's BIFF "Tiantan Award."

He was impressed by the enthusiasm of the Chinese audience: "I am very happy to see my film being released in China. I witnessed the huge film consumption potential in China."

In recent years, under the vigorous promotion of bilateral governments, cinematic and television cooperation between China and Brazil has become deeper and more practical. In September 2017, China and Brazil signed their first film co-production agreement; in April 2023, during President Lula's visit to China, a memorandum on television co-production was signed between the Brazilian and Chinese governments. According to the agreement, films co-produced by Brazilian and Chinese companies will be treated as national films in both countries, benefiting from existing public financing mechanisms in both countries, and will be considered national products in their respective markets.

"We will be making a series of visits with the Chinese government in these days, not only to deepen these relations but also to learn about the way of producing television in general in China," said Daniela Fernandes, Director of Audiovisual Preservation and Dissemination at the Brazilian Ministry of Culture, in an executive interview with Xinhua. She added that the magnitude of the Chinese market is enormous and there are expectations to seek more spaces for bilateral cooperation.

On the 19th, at the Chinese and Foreign Filmmakers Exchange Forum, representatives from the Beijing International Film Festival and the Rio Film Festival signed a cooperation memorandum, reaching an agreement on establishing a mechanism to encourage mutual visits, hold discussions and exchanges and on-site research, and establish a mechanism to recommend each other's films, in order to strengthen cooperation and exchanges in the field of cinema between the two countries.

"I think the Brazilian films being showcased at the festival give a very clear sense of the scope, the breadth of Brazilian cinema," Ilda Santiago, executive director of the Rio Film Festival, told Xinhua. "I hope these films speak exactly to the values and perhaps the challenges that are shared by all humanity."

"This year marks the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Brazil and China. It is a very important moment for the history of both countries," indicated Cassius Rosa, Vice Minister of Culture of Brazil. "We have the mission of deepening the relationship between our peoples even further. We have taken this first step with audiovisuals, which does not end here."

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