Golden Panda Immersion Trip delegates from left: director Liang Shuang (China), festival judge Christopher Lane (Canada), director Dara Kell (South Africa), actor and screenwriter Gabriel Furman (USA), director Jeff Tan (USA), director Wang Yimin (China), director Yao Qingtao (China), director Gary Lee (USA), director Iris Moore (Canada) and director Coline Dussaud (France).

"It's humbling when I see someone that doesn't speak the same language I speak, but that walks up to me and is affected by something that came through me and that I created," American actor and screenwriter Gabriel Furman, whose film Mother's Day won a Golden Panda Special Jury Award, told China Daily.

This year's Golden Panda delegation includes two natives of British Columbia: director Iris Moore of Victoria, whose film Seeking Wing won the Golden Panda Best Animated Film award, and Vancouver-based model and actress Alexandria Kayy.

The third Canadian delegate is festival judge Christopher Lane, professor and coordinator of the Toronto Film School film production program.

Lane believes that the cultural immersion trip could be a good first step for young Canadian filmmakers and film students to seek further collaboration with their Chinese counterparts.

"I would be happy to have some sort of cultural exchange – I think my students [at the Toronto Film School] would benefit greatly from the Beijing Film Academy, and their students would learn a lot from us," Lane told China Daily. "Also, I would like to see co-productions [between] people of both countries, as the artist in me is fascinated by drawing from different experiences."

The Golden Panda North America International Short Film Festival holds an award ceremony annually in Richmond and is co-presented by China Network Television (CNTV), CNTVNA.com and Vancouver's Orient Star Media Inc.