First Caribbean Film Festival held in Beijing

The first Caribbean Film Festival is held in Beijing during May 6 to 8, during which 12 films from the Caribbean countries are played open to the Chinese public. [Photo by Yan Dongjie/chinadaily.com.cn]

People in Beijing got a chance to watch Caribbean movies for free at Instituto Cervantes on May 6 all the way up to May 8 during China's first Caribbean Film Festival.

China's Ministry of Culture, in collaboration with the Embassies of Bahamas, Barbados, Jamaica, and Trinidad and Tobago, screened 12 films to public during the festival.

Chandradath Singh, the ambassador of Trinidad and Tobago to China, said: "Chinese people in Trinidad and Tobago have made a great contribution to the economic and cultural development in the country, and we'd like to show that relation between us to Chinese people."

The Embassy of Trinidad and Tobago to Beijing showed a film named "Chinese girl" on Saturday evening, which was about the roles Chinese girls in Trinidad and Tobago have played in the society.

Chandradath Singh, the ambassador of Trinidad and Tobago to China, says that he wishes the Cultural Exchange Year, people in China and his country can get to know about each other more. [Photo by Yan Dongjie/chinadaily.com.cn]

Ambassador Singh said that the first Chinese person to go to Trinidad and Tobago was about 210 years ago, and from that time, the communication and cooperation between the two countries have gotten more and more intense.

"They have opened businesses all around the country, contributed to the art field, and also get involved in politics," said ambassador Singh, adding that about two percent of the 1.2 million people in Trinidad and Tobago are Chinese.

This year marks the 2016 China-Latin America and Caribbean Year of Culture Exchange, which was proposed by President Xi Jinping at the 2014 China-Latin American and Caribbean Countries Leaders' Meeting in Brasilia.

It's the largest cultural program ever held by China and Latin America and Caribbean regions since the establishment of the People's Republic of China. Up to 30 countries present their traditional culture and modern developments.

As a part of the whole Cultural Exchange Year, the Inaugural Caribbean Film Festival is also a part of the Latin America and Caribbean Arts Festival held from April to July in China. Latin American and Caribbean countries will be presenting a series of activities including music festival, food festival, film festival, and exhibitions.

Ambassadors of Bahamas, Barbados, Jamaica, and Trinidad and Tobago to China attended the opening ceremony of the film festival. [Photo by Yan Dongjie/chinadaily.com.cn]